Gresini MotoGP rider Marc Marquez has explained why he was unsuccessful in engaging the ride-height device at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix.
The six-time MotoGP world champion was very slow to pull away from third on the grid in Sunday’s race at Spielberg, causing him to get immediately swallowed up by a number of riders on the dash to the opening corner.
To make matters worse, he was hit by the Pramac Ducati of Franco Morbidelli under braking, forcing him wide on the asphalt run-off and dropping him down to 13th place.
It immediately became clear that the shocking start was down to the holeshot device not functioning as expected.
Marquez has revealed the problem stemmed back from a broken tyre valve on the starting grid, which forced Gresini mechanics to sprint to the Michelin garage to change the tyre rim.
While there were no delays for the 31-year-old, the tyre temperature dropped far below the levels he would have liked, and he was too distracted on the formation lap as he tried to put heat into the rubber.
🚦 @marcmarquez93’s race start went from bad to worse! 📉
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 18, 2024
The 8-time World Champ had an issue engaging the holeshot device and then he collided with Franky which dropped him to P13 💥#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/yCl7Ik3ojK
Explaining what happened moments before the race started, Marquez said: “Today we were unlucky.
“Everything that could have happened to us, happened to us. Starting with a technical problem half an hour before the race.
“When the mechanics were about to mount the tyre, they checked the pressure and a valve had broken.
“They had to go quickly to Michelin, changing the tyre from one rim to another and losing temperature in the rubber.
“The main option was to change the tyre if they didn't have time, but they had time and we preferred to go out with the tyre even though it wasn't at the right temperature.
“On the grid they told me to watch out on the warm-up lap, to get the tyre up to temperature. I was more focused on that than on what we have to do now and I didn't hook up the starting device properly.
“On the last straight I brake and I engage the front device well but then I braked again and [it] disengaged.
“Then I didn't have enough speed. Without the front device it was difficult to start well.”
MotoGP is set to ban electronic aids from 2027 as part of its regulation overhaul, which will also see a move to 850cc engines.
However, Marquez doesn’t think there is a reason to outlaw ride-height devices any sooner on safety grounds just because he committed an error in Austria.
“We will have a ban but in '27, so of course they already did a solution,” he said. “But for now to '27, as KTM showed this weekend [with Pol Espargaro’s test bike], we will see many [new] things.
“But the front height device is for everybody, and today it was like this and it was my mistake. We cannot ban a device because I did a mistake, in the past others riders did [as we].”
He added: “Now we have many things on the bike. Some riders explain when they arrive for Moto2 they have many things to do.
“Today, I put more attention on putting the tyre temperature and I was less concentrated on the front device. I engage and thinking about the front tyre, I disengage again, lowering the pressure to increase the temperature.”
Marquez’s early race troubles were particularly frustrating as he had looked much closer to championship contenders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin at Spielberg than in the previous few races.
After Saturday’s sprint, he felt he was only half a step behind the leading duo, despite crashing out of second place with five laps to go.
“In Catalunya, we finished second [in sprint] and third [in grand prix] but it was one of the worst weekends for us,” he said. “This weekend was one of the best, the feeling with the bike, the speed in practice, in warm-up, in qualifying practice, but zero points yesterday and fourth place today.
“But the real speed is there, I enjoyed a lot this weekend.”
Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova
