While his stunning qualifying lap may have suggested a repeat of the Phillip Island podium was o🎃n 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, before dropping to seven💃th at mid-distance.

The eight-time world champion then fought back against future team-mate Joan Mir and the other Suzuki of Alex Rins, bu🍃t 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 ex🃏pected because yesterday's performance was not normal,” Marquez said of his qualifying heroics.

• 168澳洲幸运൲5官方开奖结果历史:Malaysian MotoGP, Sepang Circuit - Raꦡce Results
• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Malaysian Moto2 Grand Prix, Sepang - Race R🔥esults
• 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖﷽结果历史:Malaysian Moto3 Grand Prix, Sepan🦋g - Race Results

“In one lap, you can do it. But in the race, I started strong and then immediately saw I was losing [time] on the ma🌊in 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 the tyre degrad🅷ation becomes bigger than normal.

“🐭I tried to find my rhythm. Mir and Rins were a bit faster than me, but it's whatও we expected.

“Today I t💫ook the maximum. It’s a circuit with the weak points of my riꦑding style, but also the weak points of the bike. So today is one of the worst-case scenarios.

“In the end, I had zero grip because we were pu꧃shing 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 races just because I was fighting against the bike and using more energy.

“But e🉐ven 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 fastest.

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

Marquez crossed the line 14s behind race winner Francesco Bagnaia, whose Ducati he came within a fraction of passing for second ju♌st a week before in Phﷺillip Island.

“Here in Malaysia, if you don't have engine and if you don't have rear grip, you can be Superman but you cannot d🐲o anything,” Marquez said.

“The rear grip was there for one lap, but then for the race distance I was struggl༒ing too much.

“All wee🐓kend I didn’t feel the rear contact and this, plus on the straights we were losing too m🦩uch, meant it was impossible to follow the Ducatis.”

Honda ‘in delay’ with 2023 bike

Given Honda’s current slump - sixth and last in the constructors’ standing🍌s and the only manufacturer without a race win this season - Marquez h💦as 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 the upcoming Valencia 💧post-race test, on November 8.

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

“We𒊎 are already in delay because Misano [September] is when normally all the manufacturers 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 something interesting in Valencia… also because what you try [at the following test] in Malaysia in February is 🐈the bike you will race. You don't have time to change it.”

Team-mat🌃e Pol Espargaro was the next best Honda rider on Sunday, in 14th.