While his stunning qualifying lap may have suggeste꧒d a repeat of the Phillip Island podium was on the cards, Sepang proved something of a worse-case scenario - combining the current technical weaknesses of the RCV and his own reduced physical condition.

Marquez held fourth🀅 place in the early laps, bef🌟ore dropping to seventh at mid-distance.

The eight-time world champion then fought back a♎gainst future team-mate Joan Mir and the other Suzuki of Alex Rins, but returned to seventh when he was overtaken by Ducati’s Jack Miller on the final lap.

“It was a long hard race, but it’s what I expected because yesterday's performance was not no🐽rmal,” Marquez said of his qualifying heroics.

• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang Circuit - R🐈ace Results
• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Malaysian Moto2 Gran💖d Prix, Sepang - Race Results
• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Malaysian Moto3 G♈rand Prix, Sepang - Race Results

“In one 𝓰lap, you can do it. But in the race, I started strong and t꧋hen immediately saw I was losing [time] on the main straights and risking too much.

“I felt [we had] a slow bike all weekend, so you have to push more in the corners. For a single lap you can do it, but for a race distance ꦅthe tyre degradation becomes bigger than normal.

“I tri🍷ed to find my rhythm. Mir and Rins were a bit faster than me, but it's what we expected.

“Today I took the maximum. It’s a circuit with the weak⛎ point💞s of my riding style, but also the weak points of the bike. So today is one of the worst-case scenarios.

“In the end, I had zero g꧙rip because we were pushing too much on the corners and used too much tyres. And as a consequence, I was fighting against the bike and then more and more [against my] physical condition.

“I felt [physically] worse than the other race𒊎s just because I was fighting against the bike and using more energy.

“But even like this we finished 7th. Yesterday I said our result or rhythm was between 8-10th. In fact we finished seventh because Martin crashed [from the lead]🅺.”

Marquez added: “We💮 are too far from the first guy, but the most important for me is that in the winter I was the slowest Honda here on race pace and today I was the fas﷽test.

“It’s not my target [just] to be the first Honda, because my target is always pointing in the fronᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt. But always it’s a reference that we are working in a good way.”

Marquez crossed the line 14s behind r🐼ace winner Francesco Bagnaia, whose Ducati he came within a fraction of passing for second just a week before in Phillip I𝐆sland.

“Here in Malaysia, if you don't have engine and if you don't have rear grip, youꦦ can be Sup♋erman but you cannot do anything,” Marquez said.

“The rear grip was there foꦅr one lap, but then for t💙he race distance I was struggling too much.

“All weekend I didn’t feel the rear contact and this, plus on the straights we were losing too much, meant i♉t was impossible to follow the Ducatis.”

Honda ‘in delay’ with 2023 bike

Given Honda’s current slump - sixth and last in the constructors’ stღandings and the only ma♎nufacturer without a race win this season - Marquez has had one eye on 2023 bike development since last month's return from arm surgery.

But he’s still not sure if a ‘2023’ bike will be ready for th💎e upcoming Valencia post-race test, on November 8.

“They still haven’t given me t༒he schedule. I don't know if a new bike will arrive or not [at Valencia],” he said.

“We are already in delay because Misano [September] is when normally all the 𓂃manufacturers try the [new] 2023 bike. We are delayed and Honda know that we're in delay, so we will have only one chance [to get it right].

“I hope to try som🌟ething interesting in Valencia… also because what you try [at the following test] in Malay🔯sia in February is the bike you will race. You don't have time to change it.”

Team-mate Pol Es💧pargaro was the next best Honda rider on Sunday, in 14th.