The 8-time World Champion has been taking over the headlines ever since his ‘Ducati’ announcement. Marc Marquez has now picked his favorite among the two current Ducati riders battling it out for the World Championship. Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin are the two protagonists leading this year’s marvelous story as the two continue to impress and falter their way to a nail-biting Title fight.

Before the Indonesian Grand Prix, Jorge Martin was in incredible form and had cut down Bagnaia’s lead in the Championship considerably. Martin looked the faster rider on the grid ahead of the Australian Grand Prix as the Spaniard qualified on the Pole and looked set to claim victory (which would have cut down Bagnaia’s lead to only 4 points). However, Martin’s gamble of opting for the soft tire didn’t pay off, and the Spaniard finished P5. Marquez commented on Martin’s tires and his ‘missed win’; during his explanation, the Repsol Honda claimed Martin as the clear favorite for the Championship.

I still believe that Martin is the favorite to win the title because he’s the fastest

Marquez said, as reported by Crash.net.

Marc Marquez’s comment puts his fellow Spaniard as his clear favorite against Pecco Bagnaia. This isn’t the first time Marquez has sided with a Spanish rider during a title race against an Italian ride( remember the glorious 2015 season).

Marc Marquez claims Jorge Martin’s ‘Soft tire choice’ wasn’t a mistake

Jorge Martin was the clear favorite to win the Australian Grand Prix. However, Martin gambled on his tires before the race start and opted for the Soft compound rather than the Medium, favored by the rest of the grid. This Gamble didn’t pay off. Marc Marquez, one of the three riders who chose the soft compound tire, spoke of Martin’s choice and its repercussions on the Championship.

Marquez revealed that he wasn’t pleased with his gamble regarding his own tire choice before speaking about Martin. He claimed that Martin’s choice of opting for the soft tire was more of a ‘lesson’ than a ‘mistake’.

On Saturday he certainly regretted his choice because, with the medium, he would’ve been the fastest anyway. I don’t understand the reason for his decision. But it wasn’t a mistake. It was a lesson. He hasn’t often ended up fighting for a championship and you make mistakes.

Martin’s choice of the soft tire didn’t favor the rider as he finished P5 after relinquishing his 3.5 seconds lead to the chasing pack of Pecco Bagnaia, Brad Binder, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and the eventual race winner Johann Zarco. It remains to be seen who of the two will triumph as the lights go out in Thailand on the 29th of October.

In case you missed it:

• Casey Stoner terms Marc Marquez as ‘the fastest rider still’ and answers if he would move to Ducati himself
• Johann Zarco pushed his teammate and Title challenger Jorge Martin out of the lead leading to a MASSIVE change in the Championship

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