Marc Márquez Slows Down at Sachsenring MotoGP to Preserve Front Tyre

Marc Márquez won the Sachsenring MotoGP by a margin of 1.996s over Ai Ogura on 18 June.

What happened?

The Trackhouse Aprilia rider revealed that he had to slow down during the race to prevent damage to his front tyre. In an interview, Marquez explained that he had been going at a consistent pace of 21.4 to 21.6 throughout the contest.

Why it matters for Marc Márquez

The reigning champion's tactics were questioned by Ai Ogura, who finished second. Ogura asked Marquez if he could have gone even faster, to which Marquez replied, "We don't know! Sachsenring is Sachsenring, in Holland you were faster than me."

What comes next?

Marquez's comments suggest that he may have been holding back to preserve his tyre. This could be a concern for the rest of the season, as the Italian rider hopes that the summer break will help the team understand what to do. Team-mate Pecco Bagnaia became trapped behind Jorge Martin's Aprilia and finished in sixth place.

The Italian rider is filmed saying, "The only Ducati rider having the same issues as me was Alex Marquez. He was having the same issues as me before Jerez, then they solved it. So I really hope this summer break will help the team to understand what to do."

Gresini rider Alex Marquez, runner-up to brother Marc in the Sprint, crashed out of second place on lap 9.

In the latest edition of the Inside Ducati YouTube series, Marquez is filmed telling the team why he backed off. "At the beginning, I had to slow down a bit because I was destroying the front tyre. But after, [it was] okay… I slowed down and then pushed once more."

As the following chart shows, Ogura was the only rider able to make an impact on Marquez's lead. Meanwhile, team-mate Pecco Bagnaia became trapped behind the Aprilia of Jorge Martin and finished in sixth place.

What's next for Marc Márquez?

The summer break could be crucial for the team to understand what to do. Marquez's comments suggest that he may have been holding back to preserve his tyre. This could be a concern for the rest of the season.

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