Alex Marquez has claimಌed his first top five MotoGP finish of the year following a 🐬hard-fought battle with Ducati rider Jack Miller. 

Marquez, who’s been plagued by crashes and an underperforming Honda so far this year, looked back to the form that saw him clinch back-to-back podiums as a rookie during the Portimao G📖rand Prix.

After starting eighth - also his best qualifying of the year, Marquez gained three places on laps one and two, before managing to get past Jorge Martin for fourth on lap th𒁃ree. 

The LCRﷺ Honda rider immediately pulled clear fr🎀om the Spaniard and 2021 MotoGP Champion Fabio Quartararo, as he homed in on Miller. 

In what was a near identical move to the one he made on Martin, Marquez used his extra pace in the final corner to get a run on the Australian heading into tu💧rn one. 

But 𝔍as the race went on Miller was able to respond and eventually regain third place, albeit Marquez remained a threa🌼t until a late red flag cost him any chance of fighting back. 

Although it wasꦐn’t a podium finish for Marquez, the former 2019 Moto2 champion made a return to parc ferme after finishing top independent. 

"Yeah, I was in parc ferme as the first ꩵindependent, but today was the first opportunity to be in the parc ferme on the podium," said Marquez. 

"We were with Jack [Miller] fighting, it was a really nic🍨e battle. Jack had something more to try. 

"There was that strange feeling not to try for the podi🐭um (red flag). But, overall the weekend was really good for us; from FP1 until the race we never stopped believing which is the mo☂st important thing. 

"I want to thank all the team for the work they are doing🍌 in the good and bad moments of this year. 

"They are working every day, ever𓆏y night. Still we 🌊have to improve many things, but it looks like the way we are following for next year is the right one." 

The overall performance from FP1 through to the race was ✃also enou💎gh to finish as the top Honda rider as Pol Espargaro was sixth and team-mate Takaaki Nakagami 11th.

Marquez was especially strong in the first and final𝄹 sectors, which is where he aimed to challenge Miller had the red flag not come out.

Marquez added: "In the last corner I was really strong there, so to overtake him in the straight and be ahead in T2 was im🐼portant because he was stronger there. 

"T3 and 4 were really close, so we wanted to play our cards there but unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to try. I had something for the fi🍒nal lap, but so did he."