Marc Marquez “a sorry story, he’s trying to get out of Honda contract” after finishing Austrian MotoGP
His fall🤡-from-grace from 2019 champion to a rider who needed 10 rounds just to finish a grand ౠprix has been stark.
Fꦅinally, at the Red Bull Ring, a 12th-place finish ended his awful run of not completing a Sunday race this year.
“It’s painful,” said TNT🌊 Sports’ Neil Hodgson. “He’s smiling but it must be killing his soul inside.
“Marc is an an𒆙imal, isn’t he? A winning machine. An eight-time world champi🥃on.
“He has never been slow, never settled for anything. But he’s having to. He’s tr🍸ying to gather data.
“He’s got a contract with Honda next year. I’m sure he’s doing all t�💧�hat he can to get out of it. I’m sure he is, and trying to get on another bike.
“You watch him 🎃- the first points of the year? How long ago does Portugal seem? Seems like a year ago.
“Incredible, ๊rღeally. A sorry story, for Honda and Marc.”
Sylva🌱in Guintoli reflected on his first finish of the year: “That’s just how much he’s struggling. The pole lap he did, the front row, and what he did at the start of the season, he was over-riding.
“It was great🎃 to watch, great entertainment. He made a few mistakes as well.
“B𝓀ut, so many crashes for him. He just couldn’t go on🅺. He has pressed the reset button.
“He is basically using the races as tests to improve the bike because he knows t♒hat he isn’t at the level of the competition.”
Marquez was the only rider to use a soft rear tyre, a sign that he was ignoring resul🐬ts to completely prioritise development of Hon♚da’s future bike.
He is contracte😼d to remain with Honda for th𓂃e duration of his deal, until the end of next year, and has claimed that he will stay until then.
But Marqu🍨ez has also flirted with a switch to KTM, who were competing at their home race in Austria.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sport𒉰s for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
