Marc Márquez under pressure in Aragon: "I was thinking about Austin"

The Grand Prix of Aragon MotoGP was marked by a show of strength from Marc Márquez. The Ducati rider dominated every session of the weekend, before leading every lap of the race, thus delivering a true recital on home soil. Yet, behind this apparent ease, the champion had to manage his own doubts.

From the outside, Márquez's victory seemed a foregone conclusion. However, the Spaniard revealed that he had to fight against himself at the end of the race. These concerns stemmed from his crash in Austin during the Grand Prix of the Americas, when he comfortably led Sunday's race, ahead of his two main rivals, his brother, Alex, and his teammate, Pecco Bagnaia.

"If we want to believe in the championship, we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes like in Austin, says Marc Marquez. The others are fine. But Austin was a big mistake. Today I was very focused. With six or seven laps left, I started thinking about that mistake. I asked myself, 'How should I handle this?' Then I looked at the lap time. I was driving in 1'47s, without full concentration. So I decided to increase my speed to be focused again.

It wasn't Marc Márquez's only mistake of the season, as he crashed in a similar manner at Jerez. The number 93 driver revealed that he wasn't able to fully enjoy his brother's home win due to the incident.

Marc Marquez's fans' stand in Aragon © Michelin

A happier result than in Jerez for Marc Márquez

This Sunday was therefore the occasion to celebrate another rare moment for the Márquez family, who welcomed the double victory of Marc and his younger brother at home, on a circuit located only two hours from their hometown.

“I enjoyed the last lap and crossing the finish line with Alex, He continues. In Jerez, I was sadder than usual because he won and I wasn't on the podium to celebrate with him. But today we were able to celebrate together on the podium."

Alex Márquez shared this enthusiasm, happy to be able to celebrate the feat achieved in front of the stands dedicated to them. "I already said in Jerez that it was a very special Sunday for me. But I was missing Marc on the podium. Today we were able to do it in front of the whole family, all the fans present at Turn 13. It was super nice. I'm happy for him because he won, even though he's still our rival."

This double family podium, celebrated in front of a crowd of supporters and loved ones, marks the eleventh finish for the two brothers ahead of each of their competitors this season, in both the Sprint and the race.

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