Marc Marquez becomes the first
Fans flooded the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto from early in the morning, eager to see what would happen at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. 21°C ambient temperatures and 42°C track temperature providing supreme racing conditions for fans and the Repsol Honda Team alike.
Leaving the fall of Warm Up behind him, Marc Marquez stormed off the line to lead the 23-rider field through the opening corners. Lap eight saw Marquez open a gap and begin to break away at the front, steadily building an advantage with each corner. The dominant ride saw the reigning World Champion cross the line 1.654 seconds ahead of second place after celebrating across the line in the 300th MotoGP race.
His 46th win in the premier class, and 72nd across all classes, moves Marquez to the top of the championship table with 70 points, a point clear of second placed Rins. His 1’38.051 on Lap 15 of the race secured Marquez a new race lap record at the Jerez circuit along with his 25 World Championship points. He also becomes the third most successful Honda rider in the premier class, overtaking Jim Redman who claimed 45 wins and overtakes Lawson to become the sixth most successful MotoGP rider in terms of premier class podium finishes with 80.
Jorge Lorenzo was left wanting more as he crossed the line in 12th at the Spanish GP. It proved a difficult race for Lorenzo who is still working on perfecting the setting of his Honda. Monday’s test day offers Lorenzo and his team an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the bike and regroup ahead of the French GP.
With 76 points, Honda sit atop the Constructor Championship.
Marc Marquez
1ST
“This race was a mental race, more than a physical one. After the mistake in Austin it wasn’t easy to lead the race like that from beginning to end, but I knew I had the pace to do it and the bike to do it. I wanted to do a race like in Argentina and at the start in Austin to prove it was a mistake there. I felt good all weekend, smooth, comfortable and able to ride how I want. Thanks to the Repsol Honda Team, they’ve done an amazing job over the last few weeks and here this weekend. It’s great to be leading the championship again.”
Jorge Lorenzo
12TH
“It has been a difficult end to the weekend, we wanted to be stronger but I am still not comfortable on the bike. We are still lacking kilometers compared to the other Honda riders. Today especially I was not comfortable on the bike and it was a very difficult race. Tomorrow’s test will be important for us to try and improve my feeling, especially on corner entry where I think I am losing the most. We have to keep working.”
Spanish Grand Prix Race Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARQUEZ Marc | 93 | SPA | 25 | Repsol Honda Team | 41’08.685 |
| 2 | RINS Alex | 42 | SPA | 20 | Team Suzuki Ecstar | 1.654 |
| 3 | VINALES Maverick | 12 | SPA | 16 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 2.443 |
| 4 | DOVIZIOSO Andrea | 4 | ITA | 13 | Mission Winnow Ducati | 2.804 |
| 5 | PETRUCCI Danilo | 9 | ITA | 11 | Mission Winnow Ducati | 4.748 |
| 6 | ROSSI Valentino | 46 | ITA | 10 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 7.547 |
| 7 | MORBIDELLI Franco | 21 | ITA | 9 | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 8.228 |
| 8 | CRUTCHLOW Cal | 35 | GBR | 8 | LCR Honda | 10.052 |
| 9 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | 30 | JPN | 7 | LCR Honda | 10.274 |
| 10 | BRADL Stefan | 6 | GER | 6 | HRC Test Team | 13.402 |
| 11 | ESPARGARO Aleix | 41 | SPA | 5 | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 15.431 |
| 12 | LORENZO Jorge | 99 | SPA | 4 | Repsol Honda Team | 18.473 |
| 13 | ESPARGARO Pol | 44 | SPA | 3 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 20.156 |
| 14 | ZARCO Johann | 5 | FRA | 2 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 26.706 |
| 15 | RABAT Tito | 53 | SPA | 1 | Reale Avintia Racing | 28.513 |
| 16 | ABRAHAM Karel | 17 | CZE | 0 | Reale Avintia Racing | 36.858 |
| 17 | SMITH Bradley | 38 | GBR | 0 | Aprilia Racing Test Team | 41.390 |
| 18 | OLIVEIRA Miguel | 88 | POR | 0 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 41.570 |
| 19 | SYAHRIN Hafizh | 55 | MAL | 0 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 50.568 |
| 20 | MILLER Jack | 43 | AUS | 0 | Pramac Racing | DNF |
| 21 | MIR Joan | 36 | SPA | 0 | Team Suzuki Ecstar | DNF |
| 22 | QUARTARARO Fabio | 20 | FRA | 0 | Petronas Yamaha SRT | DNF |
| 23 | BAGNAIA Francesco | 63 | ITA | 0 | Pramac Racing | DNF |
Overall Rider Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARQUEZ Marc | 93 | SPA | 70 | Repsol Honda Team |
| 2 | RINS Alex | 42 | SPA | 69 | Team Suzuki Ecstar |
| 3 | DOVIZIOSO Andrea | 4 | ITA | 67 | Mission Winnow Ducati |
| 4 | ROSSI Valentino | 46 | ITA | 61 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |
| 5 | PETRUCCI Danilo | 9 | ITA | 41 | Mission Winnow Ducati |
| 6 | VINALES Maverick | 12 | SPA | 30 | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |
| 7 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | 30 | JPN | 29 | LCR Honda |
| 8 | MILLER Jack | 43 | AUS | 29 | Pramac Racing |
| 9 | CRUTCHLOW Cal | 35 | GBR | 27 | LCR Honda |
| 10 | MORBIDELLI Franco | 21 | ITA | 25 | Petronas Yamaha SRT |
| 11 | ESPARGARO Pol | 44 | SPA | 21 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 12 | ESPARGARO Aleix | 41 | SPA | 18 | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
| 13 | QUARTARARO Fabio | 20 | FRA | 17 | Petronas Yamaha SRT |
| 14 | LORENZO Jorge | 99 | SPA | 11 | Repsol Honda Team |
| 15 | BAGNAIA Francesco | 63 | ITA | 9 | Pramac Racing |
| 16 | MIR Joan | 36 | SPA | 8 | Team Suzuki Ecstar |
| 17 | ZARCO Johann | 5 | FRA | 7 | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
| 18 | OLIVEIRA Miguel | 88 | POR | 7 | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 |
| 19 | BRADL Stefan | 6 | GER | 6 | HRC Test Team |
| 20 | IANNONE Andrea | 29 | ITA | 6 | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
| 21 | RABAT Tito | 53 | SPA | 2 | Reale Avintia Racing |
Words and Photos: Honda Racing Corporation
