The MotoGP World Championship prevails in an exciting race and will have his first chance to clinch the title in Japan. Dani Pedrosa suffers a crash when fifth.
An intense finale to the race starred Marc Márquez and Andrea Dovizioso who, with four laps to go, thrilled fans with their overtaking moves. Finally, the Repsol Honda Team rider took the victory.
With a 77-point advantage in the overall standings, Marc Márquez could win the title at the Japanese Grand Prix if he finishes ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.
The win in the first MotoGP race at the Chang International Circuit was the Repsol Honda Team rider’s 42nd victory in the premier class and 68th in the World Championship.
Dani Pedrosa suffered an unfortunate crash at Turn 5 with eight laps to go, when he was riding in fifth and trying to chase the leading group.
MARC MÁRQUEZ 1st | 39’55.722
“Of course I’m very, very happy today because it’s the first time I’ve beaten Dovi in this way. We were very equal, and my strategy was to try and attack in order to open a gap and avoid having it come down to the last lap. But Dovi had a very good pace and I was struggling with the front tyre, so I wasn’t able. Instead, I just tried to manage the tyres and stick to him. Honestly, I wasn’t so confident going into the final lap because I’ve lost many head-to-head finishes with him in the past. But this time, we swapped roles—I used Dovi’s style and Dovi used Marquez’s style!—and that worked to overtake him on the corner exit. It was a great feeling to race in front of all the Thai fans, who cheered and supported all of us riders equally, really enjoying the sport and making me feel good over the whole weekend. I’m really thankful to them. Now the first match ball will be in Japan, which is the most important race for Honda as it’s their only home Grand Prix. Of course we’ll try our best there, but if it’s not possible, the main target is still to achieve the title at some point.”
DANI PEDROSA | DNF
“Today’s result was a very disappointing one as we had a real chance to fight for the podium. I lost the front when I was pushing hard and getting closer to the front. I hit a bump and couldn’t save it. The crucial moment was the start, as first I had an issue with the clutch and soon after that, Miller took the inside into the corner too fast and pushed us both wide so that we lost ground. As we had all been forced to use the hard rear, I struggled to warm the tyres up over the first three laps, and I didn’t have good grip. It took a while to get into a fast rhythm. The positive thing is that we had a strong race after that, catching the front group. We had a good chance but we didn’t make it. Hopefully the next race will be better.”
