Marc Marquez prepares his attack: "Only one detail left to improve"

Marc Marquez dominates at the Sachsenring and “re-emerges” as a MotoGP title contender. After the Italian GP he was 102 points off the top of the standings; now he’s at -18 and has the summer break ahead to try to regain peak physical condition. The Cervera rider is aiming straight for the tenth title of his career, after a first part of the season in which Aprilia seemed the big favorite.

The German track has historically been a hunting ground for Marc Marquez, thanks to the predominance of left-hand corners, a strong point of the Catalan superstar. Now the top of the riders’ standings is very close, despite him missing the Sunday race at Le Mans and the entire weekend in Catalunya. Wins in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Germany, coinciding with Marco Bezzecchi’s run of four consecutive Sundays without points, have put the Ducati standard-bearer back in the hunt for the 2026 MotoGP title.

The second half of the championship will surely be full of twists and turns. It’s hard to make predictions, even for insiders. “I don’t understand anything. I already said it after the previous race,” Marquez commented after the Sachsenring. So far he has followed a simple but wise strategy: “We attack where I feel best and we hold on when we’re on difficult tracks.”

The Desmosedici GP26 responds perfectly to his demands, thanks also to the continuous interventions by the Borgo Panigale technicians during the World Championship. Only one real weak point remains: “If we want to fight for the championship I have to improve my right arm... There are moments when I’m just pedaling; I’m on the bike, but I can’t use my body. So that’s where I want to focus.”

Physical preparation and the rehabilitation phase during the three-week break will be decisive. “I’ll try my best to wake up some muscles that are asleep,” Marc Marquez stressed. “It’s the only aspect to improve. If I succeed, I can fight for the championship. Otherwise, we’ll try to figure out what we can do each weekend.”

A large part of the credit certainly goes to what the seven-time MotoGP champion has done. Another part is due to the rivals’ mistakes, unable to be consistent or dealing with crashes and injuries. “When a plan isn’t in your hands, you can’t execute it. I’m simply trying to give 100% when it counts, but I find myself in this position more because of the other riders’ mistakes than my (merits). I’ve done very well, yes, but I haven’t done anything extraordinary.”

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