Marc Marquez reveals he copied Pecco Bagnaia at Catalunya MotoGP

Marc Marquez pulled off another miracle performance at the Catalunya MotoGP as he went from 14th to third.

Holding off Aleix Espargaro as his fading soft rear tyre began to trouble him, Marquez limited the damage as title rivals Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin finished ahead of the Gresini rider.

While Marquez was impressive when it came to race pace throughout the weekend, being in the first with Ducati is what’s causing him to start the weekend on the backfoot compared to Bagnaia and Martin.

“It is one of the things, one of the difficult things when you are in the first year with a bike,” said Marquez.

“Every circuit you can check a bit what they did last year but with your riding style it is different.

“When we start and have some problems we are always delayed. On Saturday morning I tried something that helped me a lot to go in the direction of the other Ducatis.

“That gave me the pace but now we need to understand how to make the time attack and how to avoid that front-end push.

“It is one of the problems of the 23 bike but I’m super because we lose there but gain in other points.

“It was super important to be on the podium here in Montmelo, because it’s one of the most difficult circuits.”

After struggling on Friday, Marquez’s turnaround was even more impressive than in le Mans.

And although it started during Saturday’s sprint, analysing Bagnaia’s data for Sunday meant he could use the added information to his advantage for the grand prix.

When asked what led to him using the soft and being able to make it last race distance, Marquez said: “Looking at Pecco’s data from yesterday [laughs]. On Saturday he had better tyre consumption and then when you have fast riders you copy and that’s it.

“I mean, I know that the long right corners is one of my weak points because I’m using a lot of angle but I got used to riding like this with Honda for ten years and it is quite difficult to change.

“I’m trying but it is quite difficult to change. But then I understand the riding style of Jorge, the riding style of Pecco, and then try to copy the best from them.

“Of course, they have four or five years of experience with this bike and [Bagnaia is] a two-time [MotoGP] world champion and riding in a perfect way, so in every race track I am learning something.”

Next up for Marquez is Mugello, another circuit that has traditionally been difficult for him.

However, with the eight-time world champion now aboard the most competitive bike on the grid, challenging for podiums and even wins could be possible.

But Marquez still played down his chances post-race in Catalunya: “Mugello will not be the best circuit to get the victory. I imagine Pecco will be really fast there with the long corners. 

“That is one of his strong points. But no stress, no panic. I am happy and enjoying it. 

“The second part of the season will arrive where I hope to be more prepared with the bike, but it’s true that they will have the 24 bikes more under control. Let’s see what we can do but it is already a pleasure for me to fight with these two guys.”