Marquez: “The gamble didn’t pay off” | Martin's tyre? "A big surprise for me"

• Australian MotoGP, Phillip Island - Race Results

But a faster pace in Saturday’s 2023 event meant Marquez soon realised a repeat of the tyre gamble had backfired.

While all eyes were on the same soft choice by race leader Jorge Martin, dramatically caught and passed on the final lap, Marquez faded steadily from 5th to 15th against the medium-shod rivals.

“Last year the soft tyre brought us the podium, this year the gamble didn’t pay off,” said the Repsol Honda rider.

“I was hoping for a slower race, but straight away Martin was pushing hard and I knew it would be a very fast race.

“At the start I really enjoyed the ten or so laps with Bagnaia and Zarco as we were fighting a lot.

“Then I needed to change my tactic and just focus on bringing the bike home as I was suffering more with tyre life.

“Now we wait and see what will happen with the situation tomorrow.”

Marquez said about Martin's costly choice: "When I saw him with a rear soft tyre, it was a big surprise for me.

"Because in the morning he was super-fast with the medium. I didn't understand the choice.

"I said 'I don't know if he will attack from the beginning or if he will manage the tyre and attack in the end'.

"When I saw him attack from the beginning, I said 'okay he is convinced'.

"For me, if I had some chance to be in top, it's if we had a slow race. But it was a super-fast race. We did our maximum. 

"I destroyed the tyre because the rear option was my choice."

• Martin: ‘No way I could win, no more tyre gambles’

Marquez said about Johann Zarco, who won his first MotoGP race at the 120th attempt: "Johann is really talented, two-time world champion in Moto2. He deserves at least one victory.

"It was already strange that a rider like him hadn't achieved it before. Now he has, so congrats Johann."

Pol Espargaro was the third rider to try the soft rear, dropping from 9th to 18th.

The soft will have no problems with the shorter Sprint distance, but the extreme weather forecast (which prompted the main grand prix to be switched to Saturday) means the 13-lap race remains uncertain.

Marquez was still the top Honda at the finish, with his 15th place ensuring HRC avoided the embarrassment of repeating its Silverstone GP non-score.

With 2022 winner Alex Rins absent due to pain from his healing leg, lone LCR rider Takaaki Nakagami finished 19th and last while Marquez’s team-mate Joan Mir was bumped out of 15th by contact from Luca Marini.

“I'm disappointed with today, it is another hard one,” Mir said.

“I was just trying to make my race, not hurting anyone, trying to take care of the tyres because you saw what happened at the end of the race.

“We were working in the correct way according to the data. Then Marini tried to overtake me and hit me, and I fell after losing the front.

“Being in the back, the situation is more complicated as the riders are fighting a lot – I was a victim of it today. But this is racing. Let’s see tomorrow.”

The FIM Stewards deemed it a racing accident with no further action taken.