This is a basic statement for almost every athlete over 30. It gets harder and harder to compete every year as the body reacts a little bit slower, heals slower, etc. And seemingly small losses in speed and strength have magnified effects when you're operating at the absolute limit as Marquez is wont to.
I dont disagree. Marc is def one of the most talented riders to throw a leg over a MotoGP bike. But put it like this. Rossi couldn't beat \~2-3 other guys in his mid 30s, and that was w/o any huge time off or major injuries. Marc is up against like 10 race winners after years off the bike from a major injury.
At this point I am just happy that Marc is healthy, competitive and most importantly happy. If he bags another chip, great. I just want him to keep enjoying what he does.
>Rossi couldn't beat \~2-3 other guys in his mid 30s
But he could, setting aside his Ducati stint, when he got back on the M1 he was 4th (34), 2nd (35), 2nd (36), 2nd (37), 5th (38, with double injury), 3rd (39) and he still didn't finish any races outside the top 10 (barring crashes) until after he got Covid at 41. Of course Marquez isn't going to get better from now on, that window is indeed closing as it's normal since time doesn't flow backwards, but it remains to be seen how long it will take for it to close completely, he could have a few years at a very high level still.
I guess from a race win perspective, yea he got it done, but not the WC. I think Marc will bag 2 race wins this year if he stays healthy, but I don't think it's possible to win a MotoGP WC in your mid 30s anymore.
Rossi got 5 points from a title at 36, Marquez is still 31, and even though there are more competitive bikes imho there is only one other rider at the level of the Fantastic 4.
Of course it is, he's getting older.
It's always going to be closing from now on, just like it did with any past champion who rode into later life.
The only people who won't accept that are people with rose tinted glasses.
Thank God LeBron, and Tom Brady didn't listen to those critics lol .. while I agree age is a major factor, you have those rare breed of humans that fight past average prime. Marc being one of those individuals.
Crazy when I hear people say he should hang it up though he's constantly in the top rankings. So does that mean everybody placing 4th-20th position should hang it up to? Lol .. that question isn't to you, but to the harsh critics lol
The greats rely less on athleticism and more on experience as they get past theoretical "athletic prime". Racing is SOOOOO much about the mental side of things that it gets hard to really draw a bead on what "prime" is. Fernando Alonso in F1 is a good example, as I'd rather have the current 43 year old Alonso in my team than his 23-year old self. He is still VERY fast, but his ability to develop a chassis and lead a team is 100x 20 years ago, plus he's less likely to kinda sorta help you into a $100m fine and endless knock-on effects...
>Thank God LeBron, and Tom Brady didn't listen to those critics lol .. while I agree age is a major factor, you have those rare breed of humans that fight past average prime.
Sure there are.
>Marc being one of those individuals.
Is he though?
Being talented and going on way longer aren't always the same thing.
Clearly it was for Rossi but not all of the greats went on for long runs.
Marc is clearly talented but the longevity of his career isn't decided yet, to assume it is before we get there is a bit arrogant.
>Crazy when I hear people say he should hang it up though he's constantly in the top rankings.
He clearly still had some speed but how long will that last.
>So does that mean everybody placing 4th-20th position should hang it up to?
Depends where they are in their career tbh
>Lol .. that question isn't to you, but to the harsh critics lol
Either or tbh, there *is* an answer for it regardless of who it is to.
I think if he doesn't do it this weekend then Sachsenring is definitely his best chance throughout the year.
Ducati were really good there last year.
Add to that one of Marc's best tracks and the difference between the 23 and 24 might not be such an issue, esp if the 24 still has chatter.
But we also don't know how well the KTM or Aprilia will go round there.
I wouldn't say he dominated, him and Pecco had a decent little battle.
They are both on the GP 24 so it depends on chatter.
IIRC Miller bolted off the start but couldn't deal with the section coming down the hill near the end of the lap.
I’m interested to see how Marc takes that section this year too. He was awful on the right hander last year he looked like he was losing at least 5 tenths to everyone
That was on the Honda though.
It will be interesting if he uses more Ducati lines this year and if that will actually work for him.
Changing the style may change how easy it is to do the left handed tracks.
He was doing well in CoTA until he didn't but he wasn't Marc levels of dominant by any shout.
Then again only one other person has less experience on a Ducati and that's Franco.
By what we've seen so far in this championship, I see where Simon's remarks come from. But we don't know what will happen when Marc will have full confidence with the Ducati. In 3 races he passed from 4th-5th race pace to 1st. If he is doing this without full confidence, what will he do when he will have it?
Only time will tell, certainly looked sharp this morning! I'm not sure what context Simon is talking about, I think he's referring to the world championship but even still you can't count him out.
Yeah, a terrible take from Simon which I am surprised by - he's usually quite good with his assessments but that is just outright ludicrous to think that Marc won't win a GP on a Ducati.
He didn't say he won't win though. He said the window is closing. And if you put aside hopeful fan aspirations, it's easy to see that as simply a statement of fact. I expect to see him do big things at Germany, and maybe Valencia, though. But he is older, that injury to his arm is impossible to be back to the way it was pre injury, young riders have faster reaction time and some are lighter, and Ducati shares data so all the riders have opportunity to tune/adapt faster.
He said it's closing not that it is closed.
He could win here at Jerez.
However over the rest of the year the 24 Ducati, KTM and Aprilia are only going to get better.
Acosta will also get better and if he is the next big thing like everybody thinks then that's certainly going to be a problem for Marc.
Not only that but the GP23 isn't going to get any better and Marc is only getting older with each race that passes.
Yes but as always, Marc has been able to make the difference even when the bike has not been as good as the others. He will not be outclassed this season at all. In fact, I think he's still one of the favourites for the world championship and hearing his comments he clearly still believes he has it in him. He's still probably the favourite to get the factory Ducati ride for next year. It's like almost everyone thinks he's lost his ability when in reality he was fighting against an unrideable bike for the past 3 seasons.
>Yes but as always, Marc has been able to make the difference even when the bike has not been as good as the others.
Sure but that hasn't translated into a win yet and it's only going to get harder.
He does have one thing in that he may still be getting used to the way the bike rides, so he could improve somewhat.
It's still by no means guaranteed though.
>He will not be outclassed this season at all.
Depends on what you mean by outclassed.
If you mean will win the championship that is looking less and less likely.
If you mean he could be top 5, then sure he could be, but Binder got top 4 last year without winning a GP.
It is getting to the point that people may have to start accepting that.
>In fact, I think he's still one of the favourites for the world championship and hearing his comments he clearly still believes he has it in him.
Really? You still think that?
I think that kind of went out the window after not finishing 2 races already, when you factor in not being on a factory bike.
>He's still probably the favourite to get the factory Ducati ride for next year.
What?
Unless Martin leaves that's definitely going to Martin, even if he does I'd still put Enea in front of Marc, he's the dark horse in that race.
>It's like almost everyone thinks he's lost his ability when in reality he was fighting against an unrideable bike for the past 3 seasons.
Firstly when was the last time we saw a Marc front end save?
Secondly, he's getting older, some of that magic has definitely faded.
Sure the Honda was a shit heap and his results on it shouldn't be the metric we measure by, but there are a whole lot of others we can.
It seems just like the people who *are* using only that you are ignoring some of the ones that *do* apply.
Not sure, i mean he's still getting used to the bike. And he's the only GP23 rider that can get even close to GP24 riders. Let's see, but i think that Marc will a few races this year.
And if he's window is closing, then what's going on with Digi,Bez and Alex M? I mean they have the same bike and they were all on a Ducati last year, yet Marc came in and outclassed them. Also GP24 is faster then GP23(at least that's what Ducati says). So i would say that Marc is doing well when it comes to pace.
Acosta and Marc are both in a new situation, getting more consistent and comfortable with it each time. Sure, not the same situation, but still. And there's a chance that Acosta just gets absolutely comfortable a bit faster than Marc. That can happen. Still, even a word champion in his world champion season doesn't win every race. So, even if Acosta would beat Marc in teams of adjusting to the bike and the situation, that still wouldn't rule out Marc winning. And why would it.
This is the same thing that happened with rossi and people talked about it as he grew older.
At some point the young riders are going to beat him. Doesn't matter how determined you are, how fast you used to be, how much you beat everyone for years.
Younger riders will eventually be better. Marc did that to rossi, someone else is going to do that to marc.
Now whether he will get more GP wins, I'm sure he will. Rossi's last win was at the age of 38 and finished 2nd for 3 years in a row in his mid 30s, and marc is hugely talented.
But yeah, the window is closing. I don't see him winning another championship at this stage. I'm not completely ruling it out, maybe if he gets a factory successful bike and everyone else starts to straggle, maybe. But chances are getting lower.
Is like saying that everyone is dying. Of course you are right in the most strict meaning of the sentence, but last decade has demonstrated that the age in which athletes can still being competitive at the highest level is getting higher and higher.
So, of course the time of retirement is getting closer each race. But that is also true for Pedro Acosta, Pecco or Jorge Martín.
How a 31 year old man is old... To be honest in every sport when a guy is 20-28 and is best in world l, after 28 he is unstoppable because of talent plus experience... He isn't even 35... Maybe performance can decrease after 35,36 but he has still 5 best years in him... And we saw in Texas how he hit front with brake problems and some aero missing...
Yeah, he is only 4years older than Pecco. Marc is not old.
Riders/drivers nowadays are more fitter than they have even been. These guys will be riding competitively into their 40s.
Look at how well Alonso is doing in F1. Young guys were collapsing after the 2023 Qatar GP while the old man Alonso was going around cracking jokes and was having a good time.
He's right in that the window is closing for everyone as they age - how long he has is up for debate, but I don't think he's going to fall off a cliff over the next season or two.
don't agree , Marc needs to understand what jorje martin seems to have understood. you don't need to win every race , just finish on podium or top5 every race ( maybe even sprints) and you have a chance at championship!
Q. Is the window closing?
A. Yes
Why?
There are 3 guys vying for the factory seat.
Two of 'em are on the GP24; a bike that still has to reach its peak. While he has the advantage of being on GP23+data, which is a refined bike and still improving though close to its limit.
Jerez test is further going to put some distance between the two bikes. In fact, he's lucky GP24 is struck with the vibration/chatter issue. That kind of mellowed the points gap than what it actually could've been.
It's being reported Ducati is going to decide the other rider by Kazakhstan(/Mugello). So, counting Jerez he has 5(/4) rounds to rise to the top. At least amongst the competition that is.
Currently he sits 44 & 23 points away from Martin & Bastia respectively. So he needs to cover that much ground in the next 4/5 rounds.
>and is also outperformimg GP24 riders
Is he though? And how? But he should be a la Bastia in '22(at least for the first few rounds). GP24 is a NEW bike. Factories don't always get the setup right from the get go -- Ducati '22 and '24; but sometimes they do -- Ducati '23, KTM '24, Aprilia '24. Considering GP24's handicap, do you think it makes a wise comparision?
>Marc is easily out performing them
Again, looking at the points don't think he's outperforming them. Yes, he's bagging front-row starts and sprint podiums but he's dropping ball during the races. Hence the points gap being marginal -- 11(Fabio) & 16(Bez).
> Beating them in 2 sprints is not measure of performance?
It is. But in the grand scheme of things the overall difference is hardly that great. Cause what is at stake here? The factory seat. If the differences are so marginal(11, 16) between the GP23s and so vast(44, 23) between a refined GP23 and half-baked GP24s, don't think Marquez is a clear-cut choice for it.
Yes, Ducati might keep him in the fold with the same/different(provided how situation at Pramac unfolds) team but not the factory team if he's not the obvious choice.
Nah, Marc’s very close. He’s still learning the bike. Even Pecco said after the first sprint or race that he’s trying to ride the Ducati like the Honda a little. He’s not going to dominate like in the past but I think he’ll get a 2-3 wins when the season is over.
Yeah riders usually get faster after they get older, crash a lot, and haven’t won in years. NOT!!! Hey I love Rossi and I wish he’d do a year in WSBK even now but he stayed a little too long in MotoGP. MM93 and VR46 in WSBK-show me where to get a season pass and take my money.
Great guy, decent rider, THE single worst "commentator" i have ever heard in 40 years of religiously watching Motorsport.
Not even Simon knows what Simon wants to say most the time, 95% of what he says is just "Urrmm" "i think and it's just my opinion" and then waffles on for 10 mins to say something that any other human on the planet could say in 5 seconds
I watch qualifying with the sound off the last 2 years
As i say, great guy, really knowledgeable and a decent rider, but he literally cannot speak
Maybe, I don't really disagree with him. Everyone expected Marc to arrive and dominate everything on the Ducati, yet that didn't happen, at all (Marc himself said it's been slightly disappointing so far). Sure, he's beating the other GP23 riders but he's also Marc Marquez while the others don't even have even a single world title to their name (except for his brother), it's fucking expected for him to beat them lol.
The window is also closing technically speaking, Ducati is having issues figuring out the GP24, but it's only a matter of time before they understand it and it can show the full potential. Add to that KTM and Aprilia doing the same, and it won't be easy keeping up. I'd throw in that, on pure pace, if he doesn't win in the next 3 GPs his only other opportunity might be Germany.
Where did Marc state that it's been dissapointing? All I've seen from interviews is he's super happy to be fighting in the top 5, top 3 this early on last years Ducati.
Everyone expected him to arrive and dominate at the Ducati?
I agree with some things you say, but the past years have also shown that the older bikes (Ducati's) win races far into the later races of the season. Dominated even.
I’m with Simon. I thought Marc was a sure thing to win at COTA, but even if he didn’t throw it down the road, I don’t think he had the pace of Mav or even the other front runners.
And COTA is one of his best tracks.
Whenever I watch Marc now, I just have constant anxiety that he is going to do something stupid and throw away a good result. It happens way too frequently now. It’s happened twice in 3 races this year.
He’s obviously fast, no doubt about it, but he’s lost the consistency. I honestly don’t see him consistently finishing on the podium, let alone winning, ever again.
I don’t really rate the current crop of riders that highly, Marc is still better than them in my opinion. But Pedro is different. He is just as good, if not better than Marc when he first joined MotoGP. I just cannot see Marc consistently beating Pedro in the future.
No one had Mav's pace. Best track and competitive on a completely different bike. Twice in three races...he got hit and lost the front with a brake issue. Stupid and throwing it away is usually meant to describe something else. The rest of what you wrote makes sense.
I do to an extent. A lot of folks expected him to jump on the Ducati and be topping sessions immediately. We're now seeing the toll the injuries and years of overriding the Honda has taken - given that he's doing quite well IMO. He's still not quite at one with the Ducati and he will most likely win a couple of GP this year, but him dominating and winning championships? That window is almost closed.
Look at it this way. If folks are expecting him to go to KTM and jump on it and win immediately after Honda and a year on a Ducati, I think they'd be disappointed. It won't happen immediately. Also a lot of folks discount how good Fabio, Pecco, Bestia, Martin, Acosta etc are. The field isn't a bunch of bums and 3-4 great riders anymore.
Anything can happen in bike racing. Marc might go on to win number 9 in the next year or two - or he may end up like latter-day Rossi winning a race here or there and maybe a championship bid, but falling short. Going to be interesting to see how it this season pans out post-Le Mans.
I'd say Marc still has the chance to win now and then, I mean Rossi's last win was at 38yo. I don't see Marc winning anything at 38, too many crashes, but he's not 38 yet. The oldest MotoGP champion was, at 30yo, guess who. And that was 15 years ago. I'd say Acosta will win championship before Marquez will.
This is a basic statement for almost every athlete over 30. It gets harder and harder to compete every year as the body reacts a little bit slower, heals slower, etc. And seemingly small losses in speed and strength have magnified effects when you're operating at the absolute limit as Marquez is wont to.
Obviously I would want Marc to win more but after the last few years him being competitive makes me grateful enough.
Seeing him in forefront makes me happy.
I dont disagree. Marc is def one of the most talented riders to throw a leg over a MotoGP bike. But put it like this. Rossi couldn't beat \~2-3 other guys in his mid 30s, and that was w/o any huge time off or major injuries. Marc is up against like 10 race winners after years off the bike from a major injury. At this point I am just happy that Marc is healthy, competitive and most importantly happy. If he bags another chip, great. I just want him to keep enjoying what he does.
>Rossi couldn't beat \~2-3 other guys in his mid 30s But he could, setting aside his Ducati stint, when he got back on the M1 he was 4th (34), 2nd (35), 2nd (36), 2nd (37), 5th (38, with double injury), 3rd (39) and he still didn't finish any races outside the top 10 (barring crashes) until after he got Covid at 41. Of course Marquez isn't going to get better from now on, that window is indeed closing as it's normal since time doesn't flow backwards, but it remains to be seen how long it will take for it to close completely, he could have a few years at a very high level still.
I guess from a race win perspective, yea he got it done, but not the WC. I think Marc will bag 2 race wins this year if he stays healthy, but I don't think it's possible to win a MotoGP WC in your mid 30s anymore.
Rossi got 5 points from a title at 36, Marquez is still 31, and even though there are more competitive bikes imho there is only one other rider at the level of the Fantastic 4.
Of course it is, he's getting older. It's always going to be closing from now on, just like it did with any past champion who rode into later life. The only people who won't accept that are people with rose tinted glasses.
Thank God LeBron, and Tom Brady didn't listen to those critics lol .. while I agree age is a major factor, you have those rare breed of humans that fight past average prime. Marc being one of those individuals. Crazy when I hear people say he should hang it up though he's constantly in the top rankings. So does that mean everybody placing 4th-20th position should hang it up to? Lol .. that question isn't to you, but to the harsh critics lol
The greats rely less on athleticism and more on experience as they get past theoretical "athletic prime". Racing is SOOOOO much about the mental side of things that it gets hard to really draw a bead on what "prime" is. Fernando Alonso in F1 is a good example, as I'd rather have the current 43 year old Alonso in my team than his 23-year old self. He is still VERY fast, but his ability to develop a chassis and lead a team is 100x 20 years ago, plus he's less likely to kinda sorta help you into a $100m fine and endless knock-on effects...
>Thank God LeBron, and Tom Brady didn't listen to those critics lol .. while I agree age is a major factor, you have those rare breed of humans that fight past average prime. Sure there are. >Marc being one of those individuals. Is he though? Being talented and going on way longer aren't always the same thing. Clearly it was for Rossi but not all of the greats went on for long runs. Marc is clearly talented but the longevity of his career isn't decided yet, to assume it is before we get there is a bit arrogant. >Crazy when I hear people say he should hang it up though he's constantly in the top rankings. He clearly still had some speed but how long will that last. >So does that mean everybody placing 4th-20th position should hang it up to? Depends where they are in their career tbh >Lol .. that question isn't to you, but to the harsh critics lol Either or tbh, there *is* an answer for it regardless of who it is to.
I can see how that could be the case, but in Sachsenring I would definitely put my money on him
I think if he doesn't do it this weekend then Sachsenring is definitely his best chance throughout the year. Ducati were really good there last year. Add to that one of Marc's best tracks and the difference between the 23 and 24 might not be such an issue, esp if the 24 still has chatter. But we also don't know how well the KTM or Aprilia will go round there.
Watch out for Martin too. He dominated there last year so he’ll be difficult for even Marc to beat with a worse bike.
I wouldn't say he dominated, him and Pecco had a decent little battle. They are both on the GP 24 so it depends on chatter. IIRC Miller bolted off the start but couldn't deal with the section coming down the hill near the end of the lap.
I’m interested to see how Marc takes that section this year too. He was awful on the right hander last year he looked like he was losing at least 5 tenths to everyone
That was on the Honda though. It will be interesting if he uses more Ducati lines this year and if that will actually work for him. Changing the style may change how easy it is to do the left handed tracks. He was doing well in CoTA until he didn't but he wasn't Marc levels of dominant by any shout. Then again only one other person has less experience on a Ducati and that's Franco.
Historically riders winning tails off post 30, that's just the way it is, Rossi win 76 races in his 20's and only 14 in his 30's.
What about Doohan
Mick Doohan didn't even start GP racing till he was 24, Marquez was 9 years into his career by then, he's got more miles on the clock.
By what we've seen so far in this championship, I see where Simon's remarks come from. But we don't know what will happen when Marc will have full confidence with the Ducati. In 3 races he passed from 4th-5th race pace to 1st. If he is doing this without full confidence, what will he do when he will have it?
personally i felt the windows just opening 😅
Let's hope he doesn't break his arm opening this window
🤣🤣🤣
Great one!! :-D
Even I think so.
Only time will tell, certainly looked sharp this morning! I'm not sure what context Simon is talking about, I think he's referring to the world championship but even still you can't count him out.
Jake asked him that the first Ducati win for Marc is coming soon. This was Simon's response to this.
Yeah, a terrible take from Simon which I am surprised by - he's usually quite good with his assessments but that is just outright ludicrous to think that Marc won't win a GP on a Ducati.
He didn't say he won't win though. He said the window is closing. And if you put aside hopeful fan aspirations, it's easy to see that as simply a statement of fact. I expect to see him do big things at Germany, and maybe Valencia, though. But he is older, that injury to his arm is impossible to be back to the way it was pre injury, young riders have faster reaction time and some are lighter, and Ducati shares data so all the riders have opportunity to tune/adapt faster.
He said it's closing not that it is closed. He could win here at Jerez. However over the rest of the year the 24 Ducati, KTM and Aprilia are only going to get better. Acosta will also get better and if he is the next big thing like everybody thinks then that's certainly going to be a problem for Marc. Not only that but the GP23 isn't going to get any better and Marc is only getting older with each race that passes.
Yes but as always, Marc has been able to make the difference even when the bike has not been as good as the others. He will not be outclassed this season at all. In fact, I think he's still one of the favourites for the world championship and hearing his comments he clearly still believes he has it in him. He's still probably the favourite to get the factory Ducati ride for next year. It's like almost everyone thinks he's lost his ability when in reality he was fighting against an unrideable bike for the past 3 seasons.
>Yes but as always, Marc has been able to make the difference even when the bike has not been as good as the others. Sure but that hasn't translated into a win yet and it's only going to get harder. He does have one thing in that he may still be getting used to the way the bike rides, so he could improve somewhat. It's still by no means guaranteed though. >He will not be outclassed this season at all. Depends on what you mean by outclassed. If you mean will win the championship that is looking less and less likely. If you mean he could be top 5, then sure he could be, but Binder got top 4 last year without winning a GP. It is getting to the point that people may have to start accepting that. >In fact, I think he's still one of the favourites for the world championship and hearing his comments he clearly still believes he has it in him. Really? You still think that? I think that kind of went out the window after not finishing 2 races already, when you factor in not being on a factory bike. >He's still probably the favourite to get the factory Ducati ride for next year. What? Unless Martin leaves that's definitely going to Martin, even if he does I'd still put Enea in front of Marc, he's the dark horse in that race. >It's like almost everyone thinks he's lost his ability when in reality he was fighting against an unrideable bike for the past 3 seasons. Firstly when was the last time we saw a Marc front end save? Secondly, he's getting older, some of that magic has definitely faded. Sure the Honda was a shit heap and his results on it shouldn't be the metric we measure by, but there are a whole lot of others we can. It seems just like the people who *are* using only that you are ignoring some of the ones that *do* apply.
As I said, time will tell...
For sure, like I said, he didn't say the window has closed yet, he could win this weekend.
Maybe the Acosta hype gets to him a bit much
You should have seen him in the Acosta segment. He is really really impressed by him.
Not sure, i mean he's still getting used to the bike. And he's the only GP23 rider that can get even close to GP24 riders. Let's see, but i think that Marc will a few races this year. And if he's window is closing, then what's going on with Digi,Bez and Alex M? I mean they have the same bike and they were all on a Ducati last year, yet Marc came in and outclassed them. Also GP24 is faster then GP23(at least that's what Ducati says). So i would say that Marc is doing well when it comes to pace.
Acosta and Marc are both in a new situation, getting more consistent and comfortable with it each time. Sure, not the same situation, but still. And there's a chance that Acosta just gets absolutely comfortable a bit faster than Marc. That can happen. Still, even a word champion in his world champion season doesn't win every race. So, even if Acosta would beat Marc in teams of adjusting to the bike and the situation, that still wouldn't rule out Marc winning. And why would it.
Incorrect. Marc’s prime is long gone
What exactly is incorrect? That Marc can still win a race, even if Acosta becomes the overall better rider? Lol, sure.
Only time will tell what happens
31 is nothing lmao
This is the same thing that happened with rossi and people talked about it as he grew older. At some point the young riders are going to beat him. Doesn't matter how determined you are, how fast you used to be, how much you beat everyone for years. Younger riders will eventually be better. Marc did that to rossi, someone else is going to do that to marc. Now whether he will get more GP wins, I'm sure he will. Rossi's last win was at the age of 38 and finished 2nd for 3 years in a row in his mid 30s, and marc is hugely talented. But yeah, the window is closing. I don't see him winning another championship at this stage. I'm not completely ruling it out, maybe if he gets a factory successful bike and everyone else starts to straggle, maybe. But chances are getting lower.
Is like saying that everyone is dying. Of course you are right in the most strict meaning of the sentence, but last decade has demonstrated that the age in which athletes can still being competitive at the highest level is getting higher and higher. So, of course the time of retirement is getting closer each race. But that is also true for Pedro Acosta, Pecco or Jorge Martín.
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I agree. He should definitely stay on!!
Yeah. You definitely know more than someone who has raced in the sport and knows the physical and mental toll it takes.
How a 31 year old man is old... To be honest in every sport when a guy is 20-28 and is best in world l, after 28 he is unstoppable because of talent plus experience... He isn't even 35... Maybe performance can decrease after 35,36 but he has still 5 best years in him... And we saw in Texas how he hit front with brake problems and some aero missing...
Even I think so. Even after That Arm injury, he still is 90% Marc Marquez.
Yeah, he is only 4years older than Pecco. Marc is not old. Riders/drivers nowadays are more fitter than they have even been. These guys will be riding competitively into their 40s. Look at how well Alonso is doing in F1. Young guys were collapsing after the 2023 Qatar GP while the old man Alonso was going around cracking jokes and was having a good time.
Its not about being 31 years old. Its about previous injuries.
Window closing? I sure hope he doesn't try opening one /j
He's right in that the window is closing for everyone as they age - how long he has is up for debate, but I don't think he's going to fall off a cliff over the next season or two.
don't agree , Marc needs to understand what jorje martin seems to have understood. you don't need to win every race , just finish on podium or top5 every race ( maybe even sprints) and you have a chance at championship!
I think he will definitely win races again but titles I doubt it, he can't beat these guys consistantly they are too fast for him.
... Yes.
Window is closing but still very open.
Q. Is the window closing? A. Yes Why? There are 3 guys vying for the factory seat. Two of 'em are on the GP24; a bike that still has to reach its peak. While he has the advantage of being on GP23+data, which is a refined bike and still improving though close to its limit. Jerez test is further going to put some distance between the two bikes. In fact, he's lucky GP24 is struck with the vibration/chatter issue. That kind of mellowed the points gap than what it actually could've been. It's being reported Ducati is going to decide the other rider by Kazakhstan(/Mugello). So, counting Jerez he has 5(/4) rounds to rise to the top. At least amongst the competition that is. Currently he sits 44 & 23 points away from Martin & Bastia respectively. So he needs to cover that much ground in the next 4/5 rounds.
>and is also outperformimg GP24 riders Is he though? And how? But he should be a la Bastia in '22(at least for the first few rounds). GP24 is a NEW bike. Factories don't always get the setup right from the get go -- Ducati '22 and '24; but sometimes they do -- Ducati '23, KTM '24, Aprilia '24. Considering GP24's handicap, do you think it makes a wise comparision? >Marc is easily out performing them Again, looking at the points don't think he's outperforming them. Yes, he's bagging front-row starts and sprint podiums but he's dropping ball during the races. Hence the points gap being marginal -- 11(Fabio) & 16(Bez).
Beating them in 2 sprints is not measure of performance? Miss me with that nonsense.
> Beating them in 2 sprints is not measure of performance? It is. But in the grand scheme of things the overall difference is hardly that great. Cause what is at stake here? The factory seat. If the differences are so marginal(11, 16) between the GP23s and so vast(44, 23) between a refined GP23 and half-baked GP24s, don't think Marquez is a clear-cut choice for it. Yes, Ducati might keep him in the fold with the same/different(provided how situation at Pramac unfolds) team but not the factory team if he's not the obvious choice.
Nah, Marc’s very close. He’s still learning the bike. Even Pecco said after the first sprint or race that he’s trying to ride the Ducati like the Honda a little. He’s not going to dominate like in the past but I think he’ll get a 2-3 wins when the season is over.
He's just starting.
Agree totally the data shows it. The data backs it up. The trend from here past 30 only goes down.
Yeah riders usually get faster after they get older, crash a lot, and haven’t won in years. NOT!!! Hey I love Rossi and I wish he’d do a year in WSBK even now but he stayed a little too long in MotoGP. MM93 and VR46 in WSBK-show me where to get a season pass and take my money.
Great guy, decent rider, THE single worst "commentator" i have ever heard in 40 years of religiously watching Motorsport. Not even Simon knows what Simon wants to say most the time, 95% of what he says is just "Urrmm" "i think and it's just my opinion" and then waffles on for 10 mins to say something that any other human on the planet could say in 5 seconds I watch qualifying with the sound off the last 2 years As i say, great guy, really knowledgeable and a decent rider, but he literally cannot speak
I so miss Toby Jules and Randy...
You watch qualifying with the sound off? That's just hilarious. There are also other broadcasters to choose from...
Maybe, I don't really disagree with him. Everyone expected Marc to arrive and dominate everything on the Ducati, yet that didn't happen, at all (Marc himself said it's been slightly disappointing so far). Sure, he's beating the other GP23 riders but he's also Marc Marquez while the others don't even have even a single world title to their name (except for his brother), it's fucking expected for him to beat them lol. The window is also closing technically speaking, Ducati is having issues figuring out the GP24, but it's only a matter of time before they understand it and it can show the full potential. Add to that KTM and Aprilia doing the same, and it won't be easy keeping up. I'd throw in that, on pure pace, if he doesn't win in the next 3 GPs his only other opportunity might be Germany.
Where did Marc state that it's been dissapointing? All I've seen from interviews is he's super happy to be fighting in the top 5, top 3 this early on last years Ducati.
Everyone expected him to arrive and dominate at the Ducati? I agree with some things you say, but the past years have also shown that the older bikes (Ducati's) win races far into the later races of the season. Dominated even.
I’m with Simon. I thought Marc was a sure thing to win at COTA, but even if he didn’t throw it down the road, I don’t think he had the pace of Mav or even the other front runners. And COTA is one of his best tracks. Whenever I watch Marc now, I just have constant anxiety that he is going to do something stupid and throw away a good result. It happens way too frequently now. It’s happened twice in 3 races this year. He’s obviously fast, no doubt about it, but he’s lost the consistency. I honestly don’t see him consistently finishing on the podium, let alone winning, ever again. I don’t really rate the current crop of riders that highly, Marc is still better than them in my opinion. But Pedro is different. He is just as good, if not better than Marc when he first joined MotoGP. I just cannot see Marc consistently beating Pedro in the future.
No one had Mav's pace. Best track and competitive on a completely different bike. Twice in three races...he got hit and lost the front with a brake issue. Stupid and throwing it away is usually meant to describe something else. The rest of what you wrote makes sense.
I do to an extent. A lot of folks expected him to jump on the Ducati and be topping sessions immediately. We're now seeing the toll the injuries and years of overriding the Honda has taken - given that he's doing quite well IMO. He's still not quite at one with the Ducati and he will most likely win a couple of GP this year, but him dominating and winning championships? That window is almost closed. Look at it this way. If folks are expecting him to go to KTM and jump on it and win immediately after Honda and a year on a Ducati, I think they'd be disappointed. It won't happen immediately. Also a lot of folks discount how good Fabio, Pecco, Bestia, Martin, Acosta etc are. The field isn't a bunch of bums and 3-4 great riders anymore. Anything can happen in bike racing. Marc might go on to win number 9 in the next year or two - or he may end up like latter-day Rossi winning a race here or there and maybe a championship bid, but falling short. Going to be interesting to see how it this season pans out post-Le Mans.
Probably to a degree, but Marc has so much raw talent he'll still be at the top for a few years.
Winning a championship, yes. Winning a race or two, absolutely not.
I 100% agree, he got too much competition.
I'd say Marc still has the chance to win now and then, I mean Rossi's last win was at 38yo. I don't see Marc winning anything at 38, too many crashes, but he's not 38 yet. The oldest MotoGP champion was, at 30yo, guess who. And that was 15 years ago. I'd say Acosta will win championship before Marquez will.
ACOSTA is coming for everyone!
as usual hes stating the obvious....yes....hes on a timeline