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Grand Prix Italy 2025: Neil Hodgson lauds Marc Marquez dominance as Spaniard overcomes 'panic' at Sprint start - 'He won at a canter'
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Published 21/06/2025 at 15:50 GMT+1
Marc Marquez recorded what was ultimately another routine win as he moved closer towards his seventh MotoGP world championship, winning the Grand Prix Italy Sprint race on Saturday. However, there was a brief moment of "panic" according to TNT Sports pundit Michael Laverty, while Neil Hodgson praised his calm approach to recovering from an early setback.
'He goes even quicker still!' - Marquez claims 100th MotoGP pole at Grand Prix Italy
Video credit: TNT Sports
Neil Hodgson hailed Marc Marquez as he won the Grand Prix Italy Sprint race "at a canter" despite Michael Laverty suggesting there was "panic" at the start of the race.
Marquez extended his lead at the top of the MotoGP world championship standings with what was ultimately a comfortable win as he led for almost all of the race.
However, there were a few moments of consternation for the six-time world champion, as he fumbled with his launch control with the lights counting down for the start.
He was ultimately able to get away, but his nearest rivals, Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, both overtook him, only for the duo to be quickly left behind as he recovered.
Marquez cruised through the rest of the race without any real difficulty, and speaking on TNT at the end of the race, Hodgson remarked on how calm it had been.
He explained: "It doesn't look scrappy. It doesn't look like he's risking anything. He doesn't look like he's going to crash. He looks like he's learned from those earlier mistakes in the season.
"He's taking less risk. That looks like he won at a canter. It felt like that at Aragon, that was his track. Coming here, I did not expect that at all."
- Marquez 'ready to fight' at Grand Prix Italy after recording 100th MotoGP pole position
- 'He has to win, that's not us trying to create drama' - Hodgson on 'untouchable' Bagnaia
‘I don’t know what happened’ - Marquez reveals launch errors
Ducati Lenovo rider Marquez spoke shortly after his win and detailed the confusion he had at the lights.
"At the start I don’t know what happened," he said. "The launch control was in, then I took it out and put it back in. I lost a lot of positions and we gave a good show there and won the sprint race.
"That was not the main target, the main target was to not to lose a lot of points. All these fans got a good show because the comeback was super nice."
‘You can see the panic’ - Laverty praises Marquez resilience
TNT Sports pundit Laverty was full of praise for Marquez for the manner in which he recovered from the early drama.
He remarked: "It sounds like he activated his launch device, then somehow deactivated it. Realised that... re-engaged it. A momentary loss, but by that time, he wasn't quite ready.
"You can see the panic. I say panic, but he actually kept quite calm. But look at the recovery!"
Marquez and the rest of the riders will reconvene for Sunday’s full-length race, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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