Tactical Masterstroke Makes It One-Two for Honda at Brno

A gamble on tire choice turned into a tactical masterstroke in today’s Czech Grand Prix, as defending World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) made an early pit stop to switch bikes after only two laps of the 23-lap race.

The tenth race of 2017 started on a damp track, after Marquez had made a last-minute change to a soft rear rain tire, while everyone else went with the medium. He led away from pole position, but quickly realized he had made the wrong choice. This convinced the 24-year-old Spaniard to make an early pit stop to take his slick-equipped bike before anyone else made the move. His second-guess tactics helped him to win the race by 12 seconds, his biggest MotoGP victory margin in his 32nd success in the class of kings.

Marquez’s decision to switch bikes so early was inspired – by the time all his rivals were also on slicks the three-times MotoGP king had built an unassailable 20-second lead. His progress to his second successive win and his third of the season was deceptively serene – he admitted that the early laps on slicks had been fraught with risk. This latest success increased his championship lead to 14 points over Maverick Vinales (Yamaha), who finished a distant third.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) was a little more cautious, changing bikes two laps after his team-mate. But the veteran Honda rider’s pace, which had put him on the front row of the grid for a second race in a row, soon paid off. By lap nine, he was in second place, and was never threatened in his ride to the runner-up spot.

This was the 31-year-old Spaniard’s fifth podium of the season and his 150th across all three categories: MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc. The result also paid dividends for his championship chances, moving him to within nine points of fourth overall in a still-close battle at the top of the table.

The all-Spanish podium dedicated their results to Spain’s 13-times World Champion Angel Nieto, who last Thursday succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident.

Last year Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda RC213V) scored a career-first MotoGP victory in similar conditions at Brno. Today the Britain was once again among the front-runners in fifth place, as finished top independent rider. It was another strong ride from the Briton, who lost fourth place on the last lap, by four tenths of the second. It was also a brave ride: Crutchlow suffered back injuries in a heavy crash yesterday after falling on oil spilled by another rider. He was passed fit to race only after hospital scans yesterday evening.

Australian rider Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) finished 14th, earning points again, as at every race but two this year. His team-mate Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) finished 17th.

The next race is the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, next weekend.

Marc Marquez

“This was a very special Sunday because everyone was racing for Angel Nieto, but it was also a very challenging race. On the grid, I took the risk to use the soft rear tire because I thought it would give me extra grip for five laps before pitting to change bikes, but it didn’t go like that. I soon started to struggle a lot and lost many positions. When I saw that, I decided to immediately get in and take the risk of the slicks. When I re-joined the race, honestly it was still too damp in some parts and I nearly crashed during the first lap out. When you go out for the flag-to-flag, it’s so difficult to get the feeling with the bike again, but I tried to quickly understand the grip. Honestly, today I took some risks but it was one of those days when you just have to do it. After pulling a great gap, I just tried to manage, to ride well, and to finish the race. I’m really very happy with the result. It’s a track I normally struggle at, one I worry about every year, and getting 25 points was very important. Thanks to the team for another great job! We did the correct strategy during the summer break, coming here to test, and we arrived here prepared. We’re improving step by step. The championship is still very, very tight; we must be able to be fast in every condition.”

Dani Pedrosa

“This weekend we were competitive in all situations, yesterday in qualifying and today, with this podium. I’m really very happy with the performances and with how I felt on the bike. I’m generally feeling stronger than in the first part of the season. We must improve some details – today it was knowing the right lap to stop on, but we’ll learn from it. Normally, when it’s still a bit wet and you have to switch to slicks you must be super focused and super committed. This is usually a strong point for Marc, as he’s always very good in these conditions; we have to be able to keep the same concentration in the future because these details are very important. Anyway, thanks to the team and to Michelin for the amazing feeling I had on the bike. We lost five points to Marc on top but we recovered some on our other rivals. I think the strategy of the team to come test during the summer break was right, as it was good to have the bike setting, especially at this track. We also improved on some little details of the bike and now I feel more comfortable going into the second part of the season. Now we have to not focus too much on the championship and just concentrate and perform well at every race.”

Cal Crutchlow

“My aim was to beat Dani this weekend, and I didn’t. I came in to change bikes when he did, but he made a better job of passing Petrucci’s Ducati on the restart. It’s so difficult to get past in a straight line, and it took me ten more laps. Once I did, I was able to go too, but Vinales passed me, and on the last I didn’t have enough grip to hold Rossi off. I’m pleased to finish where I did: the top five in Brno is good. But I wanted the podium, so I’m not best pleased. My team did a good job, so thanks to them and to Honda.”

Jack Miller

“I lost some valuable seconds in the pit stop waiting for my second bike to be ready but still thought I had a chance of a top ten position. But then I found we did not have similar rear grip compared to practice. Then I could easily do 1’57s on an old tire but in the race I could not match those times. The front felt really good but I had no rear grip and could not take advantage of my strategy. I tried to ride a smart race but a series of unfortunate issues cost me valuable points today.”

Tito Rabat

“In the opening laps on rain tires I did very well but after the change of bike to slicks I struggled a lot and made some mistakes trying to stay with the group. This track is not easy for me especially when I am riding alone. The main problem is a lack of feeling from the rear. At one point I had the possibility to follow Zarco and Lorenzo but I was too much on the limit to run the same pace. But we are working hard to understand the issue. I will never stop trying and I am now looking forward to the next race in Austria.”