MOTOGP: Marquez reveals why he waited to take over the lead at Brno

Becoming the first Ducati rider to claim five consecutive Grand Prix wins, six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has revealed why he waited until Lap 8 to take over the lead at the Czech Grand Prix.
Having secured pole position on Saturday, Francesco Bagnaia started the Brno race from pole position. However, his team-mate Marc Márquez quickly took over the lead, going past the Italian at Turn 3.
The Spaniard was then unable to maintain the lead, slipping to third. He returned to second place on lap two and tailed Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi until the eighth lap, when he overtook his rival at turn three before pulling away for good in the second half of the race.
Bagnaia, after a good start, lost touch with the leading trio. The two-time MotoGP champion then found a strong rhythm and closed the gap but was unable to challenge for third in the final stages.
As the twelfth Grand Prix of the season comes to a close, Marc Márquez increases his tally to 381 points, extending his lead to 120 over Alex Márquez. Francesco Bagnaia is third, 168 points behind his teammate.
The Borgo Panigale-based team continues to lead the teams’ standings (594 points), with Ducati also maintaining the top spot in the manufacturers’ standings (430 points).
Reflecting on his Brno race, Marquez noted: “I felt really good on the bike, just like in yesterday’s Sprint. I saw that in the early laps, Marco (Bezzecchi) was pushing hard and taking some risks, so I decided to wait as the race was a really long one.
"As soon as I noticed the first drop in terms of grip, I overtook him and pulled a gap, and then controlled the race. To be honest, the feeling with the bike was superb — even better than the one I had at the Sachsenring.
"I was riding smoothly and had some margin to go even quicker. I’m very happy, I enjoyed this first part of the season: the team and the engineers have really done an excellent job.”