In-between came a fifth place in the Argentina Sprint, just 2.5s from victory, putting the Spaniard - who hasn’t finished a premier-class season higher than 14th - an early fourth in the world championship.
“If you said to me before coming here that I will get pole, P5 and a podium, I would sign!” Marquez said. “I’m super happy. We are in a constant progression.”
The younger Marquez brother, cheered on by the injured Marc watching from home, waited 896 days to add to the pair of rostrums during his rookie MotoGP season with Repsol Honda in 2020.
In the top three throughout the wet 25-lap Sunday race, Marquez soon realised it was futile to try and pursue Marco Bezzecchi but held off Ducati’s reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia until just after the midway stage.
When the Italian finally overtook his success was short-lived, sliding off on lap 17. Marquez then kept Franco Morbidelli at bay, before both were surpassed by a charging Johann Zarco, the Frenchman’s GP23 taking second from Marquez on the final lap.
But it wasn’t bad for a first-ever wet race on a Desmosedici.
“The race was a little bit tough for us because in the warmup I was not able to make many laps to try electronics things and setup,” Marquez said. “In the end, for this reason I struggled a little bit too much. But anyway, we need to be happy.
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