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Seven consecutive wins, with a side of as many pole positions: the Sachsenring belongs to Marquez. Today it seemed that the winds would change, the rain had him on the ropes, but instead, Marc reversed the situation with a theatrical stroke, a masterpiece of strategy.
“And to think that I had made a mistake from the start – he admits – At the last minute, I had chosen the softer rain tyre because Valentino, Lorenzo and Pedrosa had put it on. Instead, it was not the right one for my riding style.”
The little devil lost positions and at a certain point, he even went long at turn 8. “When I ended up in the gravel I put my brain in motocross mode: weight back and throttle open” he jokes. From good luck, however, came a chance that he successfully exploited.
“After that mistake I began to see the asphalt that was drying out and I started to think about when to stop – he recounts – By that time I was far from the podium and three laps later I did it. Maybe a bit early, two or three corners were still completely wet. I took a big risk.”
No intermediates for him, but slicks.
“I have never fully tested the intermediate tyres, so I don’t know their limit. They can just create confusion, so they are not an option for me – he explains – With the team we had decided to go this route and I did not have any indication during the race. It has to be the rider who decides. However, we had a lot of meetings before the start and for me the situation was clear.”
The right choice, because Marquez was not wrong.
“This is the Assen race where I could have lost a lot of points, but instead I gained – he reflects – It was a very important race for my championship.”
A statistic says that when Marc has left the Sachsenring at the top of the standings, he has gone on to win the title …
“I’ll try to observe that – he laughs – A gap this big ahead of your rivals boosts your confidence, but you need to take care not to have too much. In 2014 I had crashed in two consecutive races, losing 50 points. In this first part of the championship I have been consistent, but not the fastest, exactly the opposite compared to last year.”
It’s the new Marquez, far from all that ‘genius and unruliness’ of the past.
“Over the winter I analysed the mistakes I had made and I listened to those who have more experience than me. They gave me some good advice that I tried to follow. I learned that sometimes it is best not to take risks.”
It is working perfectly.
