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A rescue, a fall, a 13th place, and lots of bad luck. You never get bored with Marc Marquez. He gave it his all at Aragon and showed that he’s on the right track, even if he still has a long way to go.
“I came back to reality today,” he smiled. “The problems began in the FP3, like yesterday morning. I didn’t feel good on the bike, and then I fell while I was riding my favorite one. But I was really happy with my sensations and my performance in the FP4. I rode well.”
In qualifying, instead?
“I had a good time the first time around and, above all, I did it without following anyone. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t able to do that. It’s a good sign. Then, there was a problem with the second tire, with the yellow flags. It always works that way. When you’re fast, you’re lucky, and when you’re not, you’re unlucky. Today, I wasn’t as fast as the best.”
Why were there so many problems in the morning?
“We analyzed the data yesterday, and we found the best bike to use, but it wasn’t in my garage this morning. Aragon is a track where I absolutely know what I need, so it was important to do some tests for the Honda. It didn’t go as we expected, but it was useful to understand which direction to take for the future. I knew staying out of the Q2 would make it harder, but the FP3s were for the Honda and the FP4s for me.”
Didn’t the fall affect you?
“It’s part of the job. It can happen. The important thing is that the moment I fell, I wasn’t afraid to use my right arm to protect myself. It was instinctive, but it means that my head knows it can do it. That didn’t happen to me before.”
Now it's time to think about the race.
“Tomorrow will be an interesting day. After Mugello, I did a maximum of five laps in a row. I can’t think of managing the race by myself. I’m thirteenth and not in the position to think of a comeback. The Ducati riders are all fast, and Quartararo is doing something special on the Yamaha. He, Bagnaia, and Bastianini are really fast. Overtaking won’t be easy. I noticed during free practice that, when you’re in the slipstream and you turn off the aerodynamics, it affects you a lot. However, I usually feel better in the afternoon. The race is at that time, so we’re hoping well,” he said laughing.
Do you have a position in mind that would satisfy you?
“I don't want to say it. I know what's expected of me is something else, but I know what my level is. I'’m in the MotoGP and, to fight against the best riders in the world, you have to have good sensations. My only goal is cover kilometers. Clearly, I'll try, even for a tenth place, but I'm aware of my limits. My hopes? You live on them. I can hope to win, but I know it’s not a reality.”
How do you think the race will go, in general?
“There will be two. The first three, then that of the small group afterwards. Maybe, with a good start, I’ll be able to get into that one, but I haven’t raced for more than three months, and this affects me. I don’t have the pace.”
