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The second part of the season could not have started better for Alex Marquez, winner of the Sprint Race at Silverstone. Fast right from qualifying, in which he was guaranteed to start from the front row, the Gresini team rider took command of operations on the third lap of the race, never letting go of the lead.
"I'm really happy. Qualifying was very difficult this morning, but we managed everything well and managed to start from the front row. I was expecting a wetter track this afternoon, but instead the asphalt was quite dry. I felt good from the formation lap, but I think I was sleeping a bit too much at the start because I was overtaken by several riders - commented the winner - After two laps, however, I showed that I had a lot of traction and a good feeling with the bike. I knew I had to open the gap at that moment, that's what I did and it went perfectly. The Sprint Race allows you to take more risks, because you have fewer points to lose."
Despite having won without any worries, the Catalan had to watch his back from a very fast Bezzecchi, who managed to reduce his gap to just three tenths in the final laps.
“I made a big mistake in Turn 9, taking it in second rather than third gear. So I lost half a second because I was quite fast in the first sector. Marco was close, but I was quite fast in the third and fourth sectors and I was already at the limit with the tyres, so I told myself it would be difficult for him to overtake me - said Alex - I kept my pace and my lines, trying to close a little more than usual. I am very happy for the team because they have done a great job all season. We haven't been very lucky in the first part of the year, but it's the best way to start over."
A completely different Sprint from the one experienced by his brother Marc, who reached the finish line in eighteenth position, a good 29 seconds behind his brother. “I know that he suffered a lot during the race, but when he saw me winning the race he was really happy. It was special. He said to me ‘you were really fast today, bastard’. It was really good and just I was trying to push like he did many, many times,” commented the Ducati rider who, when asked why, unlike the other Ducati riders, he never asked for a factory bike, answered honestly: "I've only won one Sprint Race!".
The Grand Prix, however, will be a completely different race for the MotoGP riders: in fact, it is expected to be dry.
“Tomorrow everything will change because it will be dry, according to the weather forecast. We saw yesterday that Marco in particular was very fast and had a great pace. It will be a 20-lap race and we will have several rivals, including the Aprilias who are very fast and consistent, so the choice of rear tyre will be important and the key will be managing it until the race, because you can lose a lot of time when you start having traction problems. We have to be very consistent, try something in the Warm-Up and make a good start" commented the youngest of the Marquez brothers, convinced that it will be difficult to repeat today's excellent performance.
“Between the set-up, the tyres and the rest, everything changes between dry and wet. Yesterday I had a good feeling with the bike, but we still need to improve some aspects. There are some things we should have tried today but we didn't succeed, so tomorrow it will be important to try something in the Warm-Up to improve rear grip a bit - he explained - All things considered, however, I didn't feel bad. We will have a good opportunity starting from the front row, but as I said it will be a long race with many fast opponents. The goal for tomorrow is the Top 5, the podium if everything goes perfectly. We have to be realistic and we still lack something, especially in braking, compared to the fastest Ducati riders".
Today was certainly a difficult Saturday for the riders in terms of track conditions, especially during the last phase of Qualifying.
“There were two wings on the track and the grass because of Marco's crash. It didn't make sense to lap in the last two laps because it was too dangerous with aquaplaning and debris in the racing line. It's really hard to understand why the red flag wasn't given at that point" said Alex, who speaking more specifically of the asphalt conditions added: "I'm not a technician, but it's true that in some points the water didn't drain. We have to see what we can do to improve things for the future. It's a problem we already had in 2018, when Rabat broke his leg, and we need to figure out how to fix it because it wasn't raining that much. We must continue to push riders to participate in safety meetings and create a basis for expressing our opinion directly to the Race Direction ”.
