With the championship now out of his reach, Marquez can focus on making fewer mistakes and come back stronger next year.
Marc Marquez’s self-inflicted crash at Silverstone has ended his hopes of securing a third consecutive title in the premier class of motorcycle racing.
Although many had ruled him out as early as the eighth round of the season in Barcelona, reverting to the 2014 chassis and the subsequent change of fortunes had brought him firmly back into the title fight.
That was until the Spaniard lost control of his Honda at the Copse corner in Silverstone, while chasing race leader Valentino Rossi. Had he stayed on the tarmac, he could have given Yamaha teammates Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo a run for their money in the championship fight. Especially after how the San Marino Grand Prix turned out.
While Marquez went on to win the race from the first row, polesitter Lorenzo crashed out briefly after his pitstop, while Rossi failed to finish on the podium for the first time in the season, having ill-timed a switch to the dry-weather bike.
But as things stand, Marquez is not fighting for the title for the first time in his brief MotoGP career. This provides the two-time world championship with the perfect opportunity to hone his skills and cut down on his mistakes.
It also means he can enjoy racing and win as many races as possible, with the hope of coming back stronger next year.
In fact, signs of a more mature Marquez were already visible at Misano where he timed his final pitstop to perfect precision - a decision that laid the foundation of his fourth win of the season. This is in stark contrast to April’s Argentine Grand Prix where he opted for the hard tyre, when the extra hard rubber was clearly the better option.
C’ship tilts towards Rossi
With Marquez out of contention, the 2015 MotoGP championship has turned into a two-horse race between Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Out of the two, Rossi seems to have the edge, after the events of the last two wet/dry races.
At Silverstone, Rossi stormed to his fourth win of the year, while Lorenzo finished a disappointing fourth, handicapped by a fogging visor. The next race at Misano put a bigger dent in Lorenzo’s title hopes as he crashed on turn 15, while Rossi went on to finish fifth to extend his advantage to 23 points.
And although the points difference may sound too large to overcome in five races, it would be foolish to declare the result of the championship just yet. Lorenzo has the capability to win all the remaining races. Once at front, it is hard to mount a persistent challenge to the two-time world champion. And don’t forget, the Spaniard recorded four straight victories between Jerez and Barcelona, where he completely outgunned both Rossi and Marquez. Perhaps that’s why The Doctor is not willing to rest on his laurels. A record eighth MotoGP title won’t come as easy as some of his previous ones.
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