Martin hit out at Marquez after the six-time MotoGP champion ruined his and Mജiguel Oliveira’s race at the season-opener, and while the two are far from being frien♔ds, respect was shown on several occasions during their battle in Le Mans.

After swapping positions several times, Martin event🐼ually got the better of Marquez before the Honda rider slid out of third when trying to respond immediately at turn seven.

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Prior to fighting Marquez, Martin had to recover from tenth place, which he did 🐈brilliantly before claiming his second podium of the weekend.

"When I arrived to the group I had a really big battle with Marc," said Martin. "I really enjoyed it because we had some moments in Port🐬imao, so it was go🐷od to solve our problems on the track. 

"He was fast, he was aggressive but we were both giving each other space. Finall🗹y, I could make my move at a place where he was struggling a bit. 

"Then he made a mistake. I’m happy about my first podium of the season. For sure, I have been in the sprint but finally a Sunda🏅y podium is good."

When discussing h🙈is battle with Marquez in further detail, the Pramac Duc𝕴ati rider said he was congratulated by the Honda rider post-race.

However, what their lengthy fight did do was allow Marco🔯 Bezzecchi to escape shortly after mid-race distance, even though the Ducati rider was faster and would have been tough to catch even if Martin passed Marquez much sooner.

Martin said: "After the race we met i🌠n the TV compound and he congratulated me for the battle. I think he is one of toughest guys to battle with. 

"Yesterday, I was studying his race with Pecco to try♈ജ and understand how to pass him. 

"I𒁏 think I lost a lot of time, it was nice I enjoyed it, but I lost a lot of time and my opportunities to go with Marco because I felt that my pace was much faster. 

"But I need to improve the overtaking and when I 🀅am riding with other 🧸riders. I think today, with him, I learned a lot."