After dominating the Aragon Grand Prix weekend, Mark Marquez tilted to face his “weak territory” at Muguero.
Mark Marquez dominated the field during Motorland’s Aragon Grand Prix and topped with all the sessions held on his double-win weekend trip at his home turf.
However, this kind of advantage from Marquez probably won’t happen this weekend when the championship heads to Muguero for the Italian Grand Prix. The Tuscan Circuit is not a happy hunting ground for Marquez. He only won once in MotoGP in 2014.
However, history is not the only one that worked for him.
Muguero also comes in a timely moment for his teammate Francesco Bagnaia after finding a breakthrough in last week’s front-feeling issues at Aragon.
Muguero is Mark Marquez’s “weak territory”
Neil Hodgson told TNT Sports about Bagnaia:
“They take a step, whatever they try, it seems they know it works and helps Pecco.
“When you think of Mugero, Pecco is very strong there. Mugero is full of right-handed people, full of right-handed horns, and brakes on right-handed people, that’s the weakness of Mark.
“Mark is still in Mugero as a favorite, but it’s close.”
“The biggest two weeks for Pecco Bagnaia”
Pecco Bagnaia, Alex Marquez
After finishing 12th in the sprint race, Bagnaia found an overnight breakthrough with the larger 355 disc brakes he used at Sunday’s Grand Prix, 2.029 seconds after race-winning Mark Marquez.
Checking the breakthrough in Monday’s Test, Bagnaia is facing its biggest weekend in Mugero. He will have to start the season and reduce his 93-point buffer to a championship lead.
“He seemed relaxed and he didn’t seem to be on the ride properly. He used more of his body. He was completely lost, but these were positive steps,” Hodgson added.
“When you go to Mugero, he knows all the bumps on that track – in that first practice session he will know exactly where he is.
“These are the biggest two weeks of the season for Bagnaia. I think the championship has disappeared for him, but he needs to be second in the world.”
Alex Marquez’s chance?
It’s not just Mark Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, especially as Alex Marquez has come as the closest candidate to Mark this season.
And, like Bagnaia, the younger Marquez had the chance to fill his brother’s 32-point gap in the rankings.
“He’s resigned to the fact that Mark is invincible over weekends like (Aragon),” Michael Laberty told TNT Sports.
“Undoubtedly, Alex is better than the right-handed mark and is planning on going to a heavy truck on the right.
“Pecco is probably looking forward to it because of the direction change. He’s always been good there. Last year, Alex almost wiped everyone off the top of the hill, but he’s another Alex this year.
“I think he has a chance. Once he finishes runner-up in the championship, he’s just living his dream. It’s hard to have that on the ceiling. But that’s the reality of where they are.”
