Marquez master of defense (of himself and Alex). And he stings Bezzecchi

Marc Marquez is usually known for his attacking nature. The Spaniard has often created his successes by winning intense body to body battles or by taking the lead right from the first laps. In Assen , however, the Ducati rider built his sixth perfect weekend in this MotoGP World Championship with a different strategy, focused on defense. A choice that perhaps matured after the difficult approach to the races: first two crashes in Friday practice, then a lackluster fourth place in qualifying. In short, the premises of the Dutch weekend did not seem the best. But the eight-time world champion always knows how to amaze.

The races on Saturday and Sunday were almost identical. After all, Marquez's plan was always the same: quickly take the lead and prevent any overtaking by his opponents. Easy to say, but not to do. Marc understood his weak points: the Spaniard suffered in the change of direction between turns 6 and 7. A section where he had fallen violently during the second free practice. Furthermore, the Ducati rider could have been overtaken at the tenth braking point, a hairpin that precedes the fastest sector of the circuit. Finally, the last critical point was represented by the final chicane.

How to defend yourself in these three braking sections, all on the right? Marquez made the most of one of his strengths. All the most challenging sections for him were preceded by left-hand bends. In other words, those most suited to Marc's style. However, it was a complicated task, given that Assen only has 6 braking sections on the left against 12 on the right. The Ducati standard bearer managed to make the difference in hairpin bend 5, preventing any attacks in the following point. The same goes for turn 9, which was fundamental for avoiding an overtaking shortly after. Furthermore, Marquez managed to gain at least a tenth in turn 15, preventing any assault in the final meters. Hunted, always in the sights of his opponents, but never truly attackable. And, after having preserved his tires, Marc managed to make the decisive move in the last two laps. A masterpiece.

Marquez barely won the family derby with Alex in the Sprint, repeating against Marco Bezzecchi during the Dutch GP. After the last race, the alternation behind him became the focus of a response from Marquez himself to the media, furious at those who consider his younger brother not very aggressive towards him: “Alex is more of a gentleman than me, he measures his words more, but now I will say what I think. On Saturday I found it disrespectful when someone said he didn't attack me. What happened with Bezzecchi? Didn't he try too? He did, but people need to understand that it's not that easy to overtake on the track. There are strengths and weaknesses. And, if you execute a line correctly, it's impossible to be overtaken”. It couldn't be clearer…