Miller mops up as Marquez takes a tumble
As thick black clouds gathered above Le Mans just before the start of the
27-lap Motogp race last weekend, the grid was sure that rain was on its way. But the big question remained over precisely when the drops would begin to fall. Not since Brno in 2017 had the series enjoyed a flag-to-flag contest where changing weather had required a mid-race bike swap.
On that occasion, Marc Marquez timed his switch from wets to slick tyres supremely to take an utterly dominant 12-second victory. Wind on four years and, as the rain began to fall, the Honda rider – just three races into his comeback from injury – found himself in the podium places.
As the leading pack, headed by Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, came into the pitlane to switch to their wet bikes at the end of lap five, Marquez emerged in front after his change, aided by Quartararo parking on the wrong side of the Yamaha box, which would later cop him a long-lap penalty.
What made Marquez so devastating on that day at Brno was his ability to get his tyres switched on straight away. This time around, as Marquez navigated his way through the Dunlop chicane safely once he got his medium wet tyres up to temperature, Alex Rins crashed behind in what he billed as another “stupid mistake” to batter his title hopes. He would fall again later. In fact, it was a day to forget all round for Suzuki as world champion Joan Mir didn’t even make it into the pitlane to get his spare bike – he crashed on his in-lap.
By lap eight, Marquez was 2s clear of second-placed Quartararo and on course for a sensational return to the top of the podium. But he crashed at the final corner a lap later. This released Quartararo, but he had another problem coming from behind.
Five years split Jack Miller’s first and second Motogp wins. But he only had to wait a further 14 days to seal his third. Miller had “a score to settle” with Le Mans, he admitted pre-weekend, after a strong wet result in 2020 went begging due to an unavoidable retirement, the result of being forced onto a broken bike when the rain fell. Miller opted for the soft wet rear tyre at his stop relative to Quartararo’s medium, and had a pace advantage when the water level was at its worst, which he used to effortlessly whittle away at the Yamaha rider’s lead.
Le Mans misfortune looked to strike
Miller again, however, as he was hit with a double long-lap penalty for pitlane speeding. But such was his pace that this barely offered Quartararo any breathing space when the Ducati rider took his penalty loops on laps nine and 10. Two tours later, Miller carved up the inside of Quartararo at the downhill La Chapelle right-hander to take a lead he would never lose.
Miller and Quartararo had engaged in a tight tussle for the lead in the early laps on slicks in the worsening conditions, the Ducati rider lucky to stay in the race when he locked up at the Blue esses complex at the end of lap five and ran off track.
Quartararo struggled in the 2020 wet Le Mans race, and the drying conditions looked set to cause more problems for him as the Yamaha wants for traction in that scenario. Though the Pramac Ducati of Johann Zarco
eased past late on, Quartararo held onto third despite the conditions and his long-lap penalty, to prove to his rivals that his game has strengthened compared to 2020.
Francesco Bagnaia faced his first real test as championship leader. The Ducati rider was also hit with a double long-lap penalty for pitlane speeding, but used the conditions to recover from 16th in qualifying to fourth in the race, although lost his lead by a point to Quartararo.
Had the race remained dry, Maverick Vinales looked set for victory. The Yamaha man finally had a good start and took the lead just as the rain began to fall. But a mistake just before his stop dropped him out of the podium battle and he never regained his composure, coming home 10th after an otherwise confidence-inspiring weekend.
Between Vinales and Bagnaia came
Danilo Petrucci, Alex Marquez, Takaaki Nakagami, Pol Espargaro and Iker Lecuona, Espargaro surviving first-lap contact with Franco Morbidelli in a clash both had contrasting views on. Marc Marquez rejoined after his crash but fell again late on as he lapped quicker than anyone. “Angry” at an “unnecessary” tumble, he has at least proven that the speed that took him to six Motogp world titles is still in there.