Rampaging Marquez hungry for more as MotoGP heads to Spain
PARIS - Marc Marquez is determined to continue his blistering start to the MotoGP season as the riders gear up this weekend for their first visit to Spain.
The six-time world champion looks back to his dominating best after making the switch to the factory Ducati team, winning three of the opening four races and sweeping the sprints.
The Spaniard has not put a foot wrong this season, aside from his crash while leading the Grand Prix of the Americas in Texas last month.
His form is reminiscent of his peak between 2013 and 2019, when he won the world title six times, before a decline brought on by injuries.
Marquez, who leads the standings by 17 points ahead of younger brother Alex, is a three-time winner in Jerez - in 2014, 2018 and 2019, but Bagnaia has triumphed in each of the last three years.
"It's one of the most special GPs, I think for every rider, but especially for Spanish riders. I have very good memories from there, some bad memories," said Marquez, who also broke his arm at Jerez in 2020.
He missed an entire year as a result and had struggled to hit the same heights - until his "perfect start of the season".
The 32-year-old will be supported by tens of thousands of home fans in Andalusia, where he finished second a year ago behind current team-mate and double world champion Bagnaia.
"The main goal is try to be on the podium... and if we have the chance, and the level, we will try to win," said Marquez, who has taken pole at every race this season.
"We cannot forget Pecco (Bagnaia) won the last three years there and Alex (Marquez) is in very good form."
Bagnaia won in the US after Marquez's error, but the Italian is already 26 points off the pace in third overall.
"I would like to say Alex is the main rival but thinking about the long season, Pecco will be the main rival because he has the same tools as me," said Marquez.
"Alex is performing in a very good way... and I know the talent of my brother."
MARTIN DISCHARGED FROM QATAR HOSPITAL
Bagnaia worked his way up from 11th on the grid to finish second at the Qatar Grand Prix to prevent Marquez from taking an ever bigger championship lead.
"In Qatar we straightened out a weekend that, after qualifying, seemed really complicated. Another important podium and increasingly better riding sensations," said Bagnaia.
"In the last three years I have achieved a lot in Jerez and I am happy to return for the GP," he added.
"We have always been very fast and we have achieved the maximum result in the last seasons."
Reigning world champion Jorge Martin will again be missing after a brutal crash in Qatar, his first race of the campaign after injuries ruled him out of the start of the season.
The 27-year-old suffered broken ribs and was left with blood and air in the space around his lungs in his latest fall.
He has since been discharged from a Doha hospital but has yet to travel back to Europe and is not expected to resume racing before the summer.
Italian Lorenzo Savadori is set to take Martin's place in the Aprilia team in Spain, which will also host races in June and September as well as the season finale on 16 November.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
34 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole, Alcaraz powers on at French Open
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek clawed her way back from the brink to reach the French Open quarterfinals by defeating her clay court nemesis Elena Rybakina while men's title holder Carlos Alcaraz also went through after a tough workout on Sunday. Fifth seed Swiatek looked out of sorts as she trailed 6-1 2-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving the crowd stunned. But Swiatek found her groove and some grit to prevail 1-6 6-3 7-5. Her final opponent from last year, Jasmine Paolini, was on the wrong end of another last-16 clash against 13th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, the Italian wasting three match points in a 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1 defeat. Svitolina will provide the next test for Swiatek, who continues her quest to become the first female player since tennis turned professional to claim the singles' title four times in a row at Roland Garros. The only women to win the singles at Roland Garros in four straight years were Jeanne Matthey from 1909-12 and Suzanne Lenglen from 1920-23 when only French players competed. Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Swiatek is one of three women with Monica Seles and Justine Henin to enjoy three consecutive triumphs in Paris and on Sunday it looked like her quest for a fourth straight was going to crash to a halt. The 12th-seeded Rybakina made a bullet start, putting Swiatek on the back foot with some powerful baseline play and racing to a 5-0 lead, threatening to inflict on the former world number one her first bagel at a Grand Slam. 'It was as if I was playing [men's world number one and heavy hitter] Jannik Sinner,' Swiatek joked. If there was any sign that Swiatek was rattled, it was her three double faults at 2-2 in the second set. The fifth seed still held though and it proved to be a turning point as she went on to break to love and move 4-2 up, bagging 10 consecutive points in the process to send the clash into a decider. At 4-4, with Rybakina serving at 15-40, the Kazakh appeared to have double-faulted on break point. Both players were walking towards their benches when chair umpire Kader Nouni's deep voice overruled the line judge's call. The reversal offered Rybakina an unexpected lifeline as the air filled with electricity. Swiatek later saved a game point with a blistering forehand winner, but it was Rybakina who ultimately secured the crucial hold, shifting the weight of expectation squarely onto her opponent's shoulders. Swiatek cooled down and held, then broke and finished it off on the second match point before unleashing a huge scream and bumping her chest in a mix of released anger and relief. 'In the first set, with her playing like that I felt I did not have a single chance,' said Swiatek, who had lost to Rybakina in their two previous encounters on clay. 'Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me.' Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen battled on, the Chinese eighth seed overcoming Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3, with a potential clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper in clay by overcoming American Ben Shelton 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the quarterfinals for a fourth successive year. Victory was far from simple and Alcaraz said he fought against himself in the mind. 'I just tried to calm myself. In some moments I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things but I am happy to not let those thoughts play against me,' he added. 'I tried to calm myself down and I tried to keep going.' Up next for him is world number 12 Tommy Paul, who blitzed Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarterfinals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men reaching round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Another American in the last eight is Frances Tiafoe, who beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier but will find himself with a mountain to climb in the next round as he takes on Italian craftsman Lorenzo Musetti. World number seven Musetti beat Denmark's Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2, showing his impressive palette of clay court game. He has reached at least the semifinals of all three Masters events on the slow surface this season. Sabalenka battled past 16th-seed Amanda Anisimova 7-5 6-3 to become the first player to reach the quarterfinals in 10 straight Grand Slams since American Serena Williams between 2014-17. The Belarusian squandered a total of seven match points before seeing off Anisimova to set up a clash with Zheng.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Paris erupts in wild euphoria before skirmishes as PSG win Champions League
Wild celebrations erupted across the French capital on Saturday after Paris St Germain crushed Italian opponents Inter Milan to win the Champions League for the first time, though skirmishes with police later threatened to spoil the party. On the Champs Elysees, bus shelters were smashed up and projectiles hurled at riot police, who fired teargas and water canons to push back surging crowds as thousands of supporters descended on the boutique-lined boulevard. There were also clashes with police on the Paris ring road and at least two cars were torched near PSG's Parc des Princes stadium. Inside the stadium, transformed into a giant fan zone for the night, 48,000 people let out a roar of ecstasy at the final whistle in Munich. 🇫🇷 🔥More wild scenes from the Paris riots tonight following PSG's historic Champions League win 🏆 The city is on fire — literally and figuratively. #ParisRiots #PSG #UCLFinal #ChampionsLeague #France — Breaking News (@PlanetReportHQ) May 31, 2025 'Total euphoria, crazy atmosphere,' said Gilles Gailliot who had been watching the game in the Paris stadium. 'It made up for the wait and the years of disappointment. Finally Paris and its supporters have been rewarded,' Gailliot added. Parisians set off fireworks and hung out of moving cars waving PSG scarves, delighting in their side's first victory in European soccer's top competition. Nearby, the Eiffel Tower lit up in PSG's blue and red colours. 'I couldn't dream of a better night,' said 18-year-old Amine. 'Let's spare a thought for Mbappe.' France striker Kylian Mbappe left PSG for Spanish club Real Madrid last year in pursuit of Champions League glory. Some 5,400 police were deployed across Paris in anticipation of raucous celebrations. We are the champiooons my friend! Iciiiii c'esttt Pariiiiiis ❤️💙 — Constantin Ashimwe (@ConstAshimwe) May 31, 2025 Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau urged a zero-tolerance approach to maintaining order amid the celebrations. 'True PSG supporters are enjoying their team's magnificent match. Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke the police,' the minister tweeted. Police had made more than 130 arrests by shortly after midnight. PSG playmaker Ousmane Dembele urged supporters to keep the party festive. 'Let's celebrate this but not tear everything up in Paris,' Dembele told Canal+. French President Emmanuel Macron, an ardent supporter of Olympique de Marseille, tweeted: 'A glorious day for PSG! Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.' Macron's office said the president would receive the players at the Elysee Palace on Sunday. The team are also expected to parade down the Champs Elysees. PSG lost the final to Bayern Munich in 2020 and had teetered on the brink of elimination in the league phase this season before claiming the trophy their deep-pocketed Qatari owners had craved. On the streets, fans lauded the exploits of Desire Doue, who scored twice, and manager Luis Enrique. 'What [Doue] did tonight is crazy but it is all thanks to Luis Enrique. The guy came and he changed everything,' supporter Francis Delert said.
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Front wing changes a waste of money, says Hamilton
Formula One's stricter front wing flex tests have made no difference and the money spent on making changes would have been better given to charity, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton said on Saturday. The rule change had been eagerly awaited for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend with some hoping it might help slow runaway leaders McLaren. Instead, the Woking-based team swept the front row at the Circuit de Catalunya with championship leader Oscar Piastri on pole position and his closest rival Lando Norris more dominant than ever. 'It has not made a difference,' said seven-time world champion Hamilton, who qualified fifth with hopes of reaching the podium. 'It's been a waste of money. It's just wasted everyone's money. Everyone's wings still bend, it's just half the bending, and everyone's had to make new wings and spend more money to make these,' added the Briton. 'It doesn't make sense ... I would have given that money to charity.' McLaren boss Andrea Stella said his team, runaway leaders in the constructors' standings after six wins from eight of 24 rounds, had always considered the 'game-changer' talk to be overblown. 'The technical directive was a big talking point. It was quite immaterial. It was always going to be minor when you look at the numbers,' the Italian told Sky Sports television. 'It entertained to have this kind of debate but our simulations said everything was very small. We weren't concerned from this point of view.'
