Fastest in Aragon
But momentum did not mean much for Marquez when the paddock arrived in Germany, another anti-clockwise venue he has made absolutely his own, with the Honda rider putting his foot down to take that history-making win and get back on the top step regardless.
He is traditionally the fastest man at MotorLand and the progress keeps coming in speed at least. Sso can he pull another stunner out of the bag despite a slightly tougher run of late than likely expected?
New-look Aprilia
A new-look Aprilia is keen to impress in Aragon. After a season of knocking on the door week-in, week-out, Silverstone finally saw that milestone reached -- a first MotoGP era podium with Aleix Espargaro doing the honour for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini.
And this weekend, there's a headline in the other side of the garage too -- Maverick Vinales. After a rollercoaster few weeks, the Spaniard returns in black and red to take on a new challenge on the RS-GP, debuting early after already having signed for the Noale factory to race there in 2022.
Yamaha in the front
Meanwhile, Yamaha remain on the front foot in the title fight. A stunning race from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at Silverstone as issues hit for his closest rivals sees him coming into the weekend a whopping 65 points clear, although the Alcaniz venue has never been the best for Yamaha.
Cal Crutchlow returns to partner Quartararo at Yamaha and will be looking to keep making progress and taking data.
Zipline challenge
Earlier, MotoGP riders Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) were joined by Moto2 Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at Europe's longest zipline.
Located in the Teruel province, the "Tirolina Fuentespalda" zipline extends over almost two kilometers and sees those who dare drop 200m over that distance, reaching some impressive speeds. And so, of course, the race was on for the quartet of eager riders with Rins reigning supreme.