Marquez and Quartararo reduced to 'tortoise' jokes as struggles intensify

Instead, they were locked in an underwhelming fight for 11th.

Six-time premier class champion Marquez crashed out of the British MotoGP after contract with Enea Bastianini, meaning after nine rounds in 2023 he is has staggeringly not even finished a grand prix yet.

Fabio Quartararo & Marc Marquez battling for 11th place.

Just a few years ago, this would be for 1st place.#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/ImGKf2wOIH

— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) August 7, 2023

Quartararo, the 2021 MotoGP champion who only missed out on back-to-back titles on the final day of 2022, finished a drab 15th.

The ex-world champions shared a joke on social media about their plight after the British MotoGP.

"What grip you had," Quartararo teased after Marquez posted "a weekend of less to more".

Marquez replied: "What do you say about your peak speed?"

Quartararo posted a tortoise in response, perhaps the only way he could sum up Yamaha's season so far.

The Japanese manufacturers, not so long ago the dominant force in MotoGP, have slipped so far behind Ducati, who now rule the roost.

Their new depths are to slip convincingly behind KTM and Aprilia, the other Europe-based manufacturers.

At the British MotoGP, Franco Morbidelli finished 14th, the best finish for any Japanese bike. Quartararo was 15th, directly followed by the LCR Honda pair, the last riders to complete the race.

Marquez and Repsol Honda teammate Joan Mir both retired early - between them, they have completed just one Sunday race this season. That was Mir at the season-opening Portimao.

Marquez and Quartararo, the two most esteemed riders on Japanese bikes, are unlikely to leave for pastures new anytime soon. Their long and lucrative contracts are expected to tie them to Honda and Yamaha respectively, for 2024 at least.