MOTEGI.- The Spanish pilot Marc Márquez He won his 7th crown on the highest category of motorcycling at the Japan Grand Prixin the Motegi circuit, leaving a single title of the legendary Giacomo Agostini.
At 32 and after a five years in which he accumulated physical problems and a change of team, from Honda, with which he had won his six previous titles between 2012 and 2019, Ducati, Márquez reigns again on MotoGP after an almost absolute season of dominance.
“I can’t even talk,” said the Catalan pilot, drowning the tears of emotion.
“I just want to enjoy the moment. It is true that it was very difficult. I am surprised with myself.”
In this Sunday’s career, won in Motegi by his Ducati partner, Francesco Bagnaia, it was enough to arrive second even if his brother Alex, his closest rival, was imposed.
Álex Márquez finished sixth, after leaving the eighth position on the output grid.
With this seventh title in the highest category of motorcycling (plus two others in 125 cc and motorcycle2 to the inception of his career), Márquez equals the one who was his great enemy, Valentino Rossi, and remains one of Agostini.
In absolute titles, Márquez still has a long way to match the 15 of Agostini or the 13 of his compatriot Ángel Nieto, achieved in the last century, when the pilots combined and competed in different categories simultaneously.
Bagnaia, the winner of the day
The Italian Bagnaia, two -time champion of the world and winner of Saturday’s ESPRENT race in Japan, left in “Pole position” and remained in the lead in the first curve, with Márquez firm in third position.
The Catalan pilot exceeded Pedro Acosta to place second shortly before Ecuador of the competition and from there he kept the pace until he crossed the goal.
Bagnaia took a scare when he began to see smoke out of his Ducati, nine laps from the end. The Italian did not rise and remained in front to score his second consecutive Japan GP.
The Spanish Joan Mir (Honda) finished third and Marco Bezzecchi, from Aprilia, fourth.
The current MotoGP world champion, the Madrid’s Jorge Martín, could not compete after breaking the right clavicle on Saturday when he fell along with his partner Bezzecchi.
Almost absolute domain
With a much less aggressive style than in its beginnings, also the result of the physical problems that it accumulated in recent years, Márquez cemented his 7th MotoGP championship in an almost absolute domain, which has allowed him to win the World Cup when there are still five races for the end.
The Pilot de Cervera has won 11 large awards of the 16 played, with eight “Positions” and only was left out of the podium, precisely in the Grand Prix of Spain in the Jerez circuit at the end of April.
His superiority was even greater in the sprints of Saturdays -who give half of the points that on Sunday -where he only let the victory escape three times, including Motegi, where he was second after Francesco Bagnaia.
In total, he added 10 doubles (Esprint and Grand Prix), seven of them consecutive, between Aragon and Hungary, unbeaten from the first of June to the end of August.
With 512 points before reaching Motegi and 182 advantage over his brother Álex Márquez, he only needed to leave Japan with 185 income points to ensure the championship.
“All these results are nothing more than the consecration of a rediscovered champion,” said the patron of Ducati, Luigi Dall’igna.
More than 2,100 days after his last coronation, the eldest of the Márquez brothers reigns again. Mission fulfilled.
“Marc has put everyone nervous; the more you see what he does, the more you are discouraged,” said the Italian expilot Andrea Dovizioso to the Gazzetta dello Sport to explain the attitude of his rivals.
With his return to the top, Márquez has earned everyone’s respect, even of the Tifosi, Devotos de Rossi and who accused the Spanish of having helped his compatriot Jorge Lorenzo to win the title in 2015 to the detriment of his idol.
“We have to bow before him and not boo him,” Agostini himself said after Marino’s triumph, the Rossi circuit, which he celebrated showing his monkey as in his day celebrated Lionel Messi a triumph against Real Madrid showing the name of his shirt to the fans of Santiago Bernabéu.
The best pilot in history, with 15 titles, eight of them in the highest category, is clear: “Marc is even able to beat my championship record.”
