‘He’s addicted’

Neil Hodgson, BT Sport pundit

“Marc had to win the race because we know what he is like, he is addicted to winning. No way did Marc want to cross the finish line as an eight-time world champion but being beaten in the race. “Fabio pushed Marc a lot harder than he was expecting and Marc told me after the race that he was actually worried. “But Marc did what he always does, he just digs deeper and he is capable of working his magic in situations of maximum stress like the final lap against Fabio.

“If you were going to build the perfect motorcycle racer, a robot, then Marc has all the attributes. There is not one weakness. Race craft, aggression and toughness… which we saw this weekend after his huge crash in FP1. And he just has this incredible will to win.

“The combination of the way he rides the Honda, and the step the team have made with top speed this year, was too much for everyone.”