Marc Marquez secured the 100th Grand Prix victory of his career in MotoGP before reflecting on his journey back to the top and discussing his championship ambitions.
Heading into the Grand Prix of Hungary, Marquez had ruled himself out of victory contention before Friday practice had even begun.
However, come Sunday afternoon, the Spaniard stood on top of the podium for the 100th time in his career, after taking victories in the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix.
On Saturday, Marquez pulled off a demolition job at Balaton Park and won with ease, but on Sunday, he was made to work for it.
In the early laps of the Grand Prix, Pedro Acosta was leading the way, but at half race distance, Marquez began to challenge the young Spaniard.
The nine-time World Champion ended up being able to dispose of Acosta, and broke the 22-year-old as he ended up cruising to the chequered flag.
After winning his 100th Grand Prix, Marquez told GPOne, “I’m happy to be back on the winning track with a win that means a lot.
“I hope this is my last comeback! I realised back in 2020 that a single day can change your life, and I realised it again last year in Indonesia.
“Just look at what happened to Alex and me. Last year, we were winning every weekend, and two weeks ago, we were in the same hospital. That’s life. The price was high, but it was worth it.”
‘The championship is very long’ – Marc Marquez responds to MotoGP title talk
After the Grand Prix of Italy, Marquez left Mugello 102 points behind Marco Bezzecchi in the MotoGP championship standings.
But after the chaos in the opening corner at the Grand Prix of Hungary, which saw Bezzecchi get taken out of the race by Jorge Martin, Marquez was able to pull back valuable points. The Spaniard is now fifth in the standings and is 72 points behind Bezzecchi.
When asked if he is now thinking about the championship, Marquez explained, “The championship is very long. But honestly, I don’t feel ready to really fight for it. I’d like to say I am, but I’m not.
“Things went well here, but at Mugello I was 10 seconds behind Bezzecchi. We’ll see; a lot depends on Brno and Assen. I need to get back to 100%. I know it’s not the real 100%, but it’s my new 100%. From that point on, I’ll understand.
“But you know me—if I’m here, it’s to fight every time. I hope to have fun; I’ve always put pressure on myself in my career, but with everything that’s happened to me, I’ve realised that what I need is to have fun and take it easy.
“I want to be more relaxed but with the same intensity as always.”
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