MotoGP, Marquez: it was important to stop Valentino

“I'd marked this race in red on the calendar”, meaning that Aragon was the right track at which to go on the attack after several races spent with one eye on the calculator. Marc Marquez didn't disappoint, winning again for the first time since Sachsenring, extended his lead over Valentino- He can now enjoy a few days of rest before leaving for Japan.

Marc, you won with something of a margin but it wasn't a simple race…
“Up until this morning everything seemed to be under control, but in the race, as often happens, it was different. There was more wind and I was struggling more with the front. Despite it all, I tried to push right away to build a lead”.

And you nearly fell…
“At turn 7 I saw myself crashing, I don't know how I managed to stay up. I stayed calm, regained my confidence and started to push again. I took Valentino again and, once past him, I accelerated to try and get away”.

Could you take a risk today?
“This year, in some races, like Misano, I thought about managing the situation but here I knew I could attack. Valentino has been making up some points in recent races and so it was important to stop him, so he doesn't get too confident. It all went to plan ”.

Have you missed winning?
“I hadn't been able to do so since Germany, actually Texas if we consider the dry races”.

And now you have a 52-point lead…
“It's a good advantage, but I must remain focused, as we've seen today it's easy to crash. Now we have the triple-header, the most difficult part of the season. There will be tracks where I suffer more, while at others less so”.

But mathematics says you can already win at Motegi…
"I'd love that because it's Honda's track, but it won't happen. At the end of the day it's not important where a title is won, but the actual winning”.

Are there other races you've marked in red?
“Phillip Island and Valencia will be the best ones for me and I was also fast in Japan last year. I don't know exactly what to expect from Sepang now it's been resurfaced”.

This evening, though, as well as your win, you can also celebrate your brother's first podium in Moto2…
“Under the podium I had tears in my eyes watching Alex. I'm very happy for him because he was having a difficult time”.