English
Italiano
It’s his first season in the MotoGP and he even had to deal with the rain. There were sure a lot of obstacles for Alex Marquez who proved to be a real masterpiece in France. Hats off to the Honda rider’s second place behind Petrucci, with a first podium in the premier class.
A goal longed for and finally achieved for the younger brother of the eight-time world champion, a revelation of the French weekend.
“Obviously, all I can say is I'm happy with this weekend,” Alex commented. “I hadn’t been testing the bike in wet conditions since November, and it was important to have a base right from the FP1s and the right confidence with the tires. In fact, I was able to find the right pace right away and a confidence with the tires. That’s what was needed to win the podium.”
Alex then talks about his performance.
“At the start of the race, I touched Oliveira but, fortunately, nothing happened. So I tried to find the right pace, finding the right sensations on the bike. Lap after lap, I felt better, and when I ended up behind Cal, I knew I could pass him. Then I joined Dovizioso. He’s a very experienced rider with Ducati, and I struggled to overtake him on the straight and entering corners but, in the end, I managed to find an opening. I would have liked to join Petrucci too, but I overtook Dovi too late.”
The second place is one that should be framed, also because he reached it after many problems.
“I’ve always known that I reached the Moto2 because of what I did on the track. The last season was difficult for Honda in terms of choosing a second rider, especially after what happened to Lorenzo. I received a lot of criticism, and I accepted lots of it, since I might end up being fast in the race or in qualifying, but then I have to start from the rear. Sometimes, criticism can be considered an extra motivation to improve.”
He also spoke about his brother who, as we all know, followed the race from home.
“We spoke over the weekend, mostly about how to manage the tires, but nothing regarding the race and the rain. He always told me to have fun on the bike, trying to be fast and consistent. I called him earlier, and he was very happy for me and the whole team. Shortly before the race, I knew I could have a good GP, given that the Honda has always been competitive in wet conditions. In the end, I managed to have the pace I needed to get on the podium.”
Who knows what would have happened if Marc had been on the track today.
“If he had been on track today, I would have attacked him anyway,” he said smiling. "Marc is obviously a rider on another level, given that he’s very strong and has great experience. Maybe we would have had a challenge like we do on the flat track. I hope that he’ll be back on track soon because battling it out with a rider like Marc allows you to grow and mature, getting useful ideas. We’ll see when he comes back, even I don’t know when that will be right now.”
