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Marc Marquez secured back-to-back wins with incredible race pace as Pol Espargaro earned his best MotoGP finish and a debut podium for the Repsol Honda Team, giving the team their first 1-2 since the 2017 Aragon GP.
Sunday on the Italian coast marked the 450th Grand Prix race start made by the Repsol Honda Team, following on from the last race where the team achieved their 450th premier class podium. It would prove to be a fortuitous Sunday as the Repsol Honda Team went on to take a dominating 1-2 finish in the race.
“This is a much more important victory than Austin. My target was to be on the podium here or in Portimao, on a ‘right’ circuit to finish the season. And we won. We won here in Misano where usually we are not strong and today we had a race pace that was super-fast. When Pecco started to push, honestly speaking I said ‘ok’ and I relaxed a bit but he crashed. Fortunately, he’s ok and we were able to take profit because he had the edge.
We keep improving and this is the best way to finish the 2021 season as we prepare for 2022. When you look at the gap compared to the first race here, we’ve made a step. I also want to say a big congratulations to Fabio for his title, he has been incredible this year and he really deserves it. Today is his day but I look forward to fighting with him again next,” says Marc Marquez.
The result is the first 1-2 for the Honda RC213V since the 2019 Australian Grand Prix when Marquez won ahead of Cal Crutchlow.
“An incredible race and result, beyond just myself I am so happy and pleased for the team. They’ve worked so hard this year, and especially the Japanese staff in our team have lived a hard year away from home, so this result is for them. It’s a team result and shows the work and progress that we have made and are making.
I was quite tense during the race, to make sure we could achieve this result for the team but on the final laps – everything happened, Pecco crashed, Miguel crashed, I had a track limit warning on the bike. Today is a day to enjoy as a team, as a group. It’s been a rollercoaster this year but this result shows what we can do with more knowledge of the bike and I was feeling strong after the test. Congratulations also to Quartararo on his World Championship, he has been the reference all year and put together a great season,” adds Pol Espargaro.
Marquez now moves to sixth in the World Championship with 142 points, just seven points shy of Miller and a top-five position in the championship. Pol Espargaro’s 90 points leave him in a tight battle for eighth place overall, Viñales is currently 23 points ahead. Both riders are aiming to continue this form into the final two races of the year.
Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team would like to congratulate Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha on winning the 2021 MotoGP World Championship.