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MotoGP, Marquez: “Miller's crash? He was very lucky"

Marc: "Finishing on the podium at Le Mans would be a great result", Pedrosa: “Tomorrow I'll have to be aggressive in the race”

MotoGP: Marquez: “Miller's crash? He was very lucky"

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Things did not exactly go his way at Le Mans for Marc Marquez. In fact, the Spaniard had other ambitions at the Bugatti Circuit, but between one crash and another, he had to settle for fifth place qualifying behind Crutchlow’s Honda. In any case, the Spaniard has clear ideas for tomorrow.

“It was a difficult day from FP4, but even in FP1. It was especially complicated in terms of adapting to the weather conditions. Tomorrow, with more stable conditions, we will definitely need less time to work on the setup and look for the right compromise. A podium at Le Mans would definitely be a great result.”

What do you think of Miller’s crash?

“I think he used the brakes on a wet section, more or less like what happened to me at Mugello. He was very lucky, especially because no other rider was behind him. The track is safe, but maybe not 100%.”

You also ended up in the gravel this morning in qualifying.

“I had crashed in FP4 braking, so I decided to brake earlier in the afternoon. Maybe I ended up on the ground because I was too fast.”

Miller was anything but subtle with Lorenzo. Did you hear his remark, quoting Dirty Harry?

“I didn’t hear it. To be honest, I didn’t know about it. Anyone can make a mistake. Jorge is definitely a rider with a lot of experience. In any case, I don’t want to get involved.”

Will Honda need to play catch-up this time?

“The Yamahas are competitive like last year. We’ll see what the situation is tomorrow. Unfortunately, the crash in FP4 took my rhythm from me. It will be important on Sunday to work on pace and especially on braking, trying to sharpen a few details to get on the podium. That would definitely be a great result.

Rossi and Viñales don’t seem to be struggling like in Spain.

“The Yamaha has great grip here and can use all of its acceleration. In fact, the problem in Jerez had to do grip and not from the engine or anything else.”

You also tried the new exhaust. Are there positive aspects?

“The benefit is that maybe I feel more power, but it is not a huge change like day and night. The engine brake definitely needs more work, although the electronics gave positive responses.”

How do you rate your acceleration power here at Le Mans?

“We were able to improve it, but we’ll see tomorrow. Rossi and Viñales have a good base, especially after the tests, whereas we need to take a step forward. I think Dani can also be competitive.”  

His teammate is clinging to hope. The Honda rider seemed sure that he would go through to Q2, but then Johann Zarco had his say. Tomorrow the winner at Jerez will start from the 13th spot on the grid.

"Today was a difficult day compared with yesterday, especially in terms of the weather. At the end of FP3 I used the slicks, but I was unable to be competitive. I also had some problems with the engine. Q1 was also positive, but maybe I was unable to be fast enough.”

Will it be a catch-up Grand Prix?

“Starting so far back definitely penalizes me, because it will be hard to come back. I’ll need to start well and e aggressive, overtaking as many riders as I can. I hope to have good confidence with the tyres and then we’ll see where I am.”

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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