MotoGP Brno: Marquez opted not to make 'crazy' move on Ducati duo
Marc Marquez preferred to miss out on winning MotoGP's Czech Grand Prix rather than try something "crazy" against Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo in the closing stages at Brno.
Marquez was in victory contention throughout the race but ended up finishing third, behind factory Ducati riders Dovizioso and Lorenzo.
The Honda rider was battling with Lorenzo until the end of the race, and only lost out on second position on the last lap.
Despite taking his worst result of the season other than retirements, Marquez was satisfied with his bike's performance.
"During the race, I felt quite good, I felt strong with the bike, the speed was good, I was able to ride well to save the tyres," Marquez said.
"But the problem arrived when [I] needed to fight against Ducati riders, because they have really strong acceleration. [In fact] more than acceleration - top speed - and a really strong braking point.
"It was so difficult to overtake them, but I said 'Ok, I will try but don't be crazy'.
"The problem was on the right side [of the tyre] - I suffer a little bit in those conditions, and I had a few warnings during the race, [so] I said 'there is no need to push anymore'.
"We'll [now] arrive at a few circuits where we will be stronger, because we have very strong points on the bike.
"But we need to understand [that] some manufacturers and some riders are faster than us. We need to understand and try to be smart."
Despite finishing third, Marquez still increased his points lead from 46 to 49, as he finished two positions ahead of closest rival Valentino Rossi, and reckons this was more important than beating the Ducatis.
"The good thing is that Valentino was behind, so my main target was to try to increase the advantage in the championship," he said.
"We did, we know Andrea and Jorge gained some points, but they are still 68 points behind me. So, we are on the way.
"I'm happy because this is a circuit I normally struggle a little bit [at] every year, and we finished so close from the victory. So, this is the more important.
"We are leading the championship by 49 points, 68 with Dovi, and the target is this. If I feel strong [and] there will be circuits that I will be very strong."
Zdroj: autosport.com