Marquez exhausted after strategic Qatar MotoGP second place

Marc Marquez said he was "completely exhausted" after finishing second at the Qatar MotoGP, despite starting second and dropping as low as fourth early in the race. He said Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez pulled away early on, while Pedro Acosta encountered tyre pressure problems before he dropped into traffic.

Marquez returned to second and caught Fernandez at the end. He said the weekend, including qualifying and the Sprint, gave him the most points of the weekend, which he described as a way to give an extra boost to his championship rivals if they start to catch him. He said he took the extra risk to overtake Fernandez because he did not know whether he would need those four points.

Marquez said his fatigue was purely physical and that mentally he was "better than ever". He added that he had decided before the race not to push the front tyre early in order to try to go with Bezzecchi.