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Spain remembered Nieto in the best possible way, dedicating a podium to him. “In such a special entire Grand Prix for Angel, all the riders raced thinking of him. I was particularly moved during the minute of silence. It was raining and it seemed like the Brno sky was weeping for him” the race winner said.
Marquez was able to dedicate a perfect victory to him, the result of intelligence and impeccable strategy. The Spaniard was the first to go in for the bike change, at the second lap.
“It is true that it was a perfect race, except for one small mistake - he reveals - On the starting grid I decided to put on the soft wet tyre because I saw that the asphalt was drying and I wanted to push hard in the initial laps. I realised straight away that I had made a mistake, because with so little water, it did not provide grip.”
There is always, however, a silver lining.
“That pushed me to come in straight away. After all, my crew chief, Santi, had told me that the bike would be ready at any time, and it was - he continues – Once the slicks were on, there were still some wet parts. I risked falling 3 or 4 times, but this morning I woke up with a desire to risk.”
That may very well be, but it would seem that Marquez used his head too, because it seemed like the move he made losing positions before going into pit lane to correct his mistake was not by chance.
“No, not at all, I was just struggling with the rear tyre! - he says laughing – Anyway, in the end it went well. When I saw that I had an 18-second lead, my race changed and I was able to manage it. This is the best way to start the second part of the season, but the important thing is how I finish it.”
In the meantime, he practically doubled his advantage in the standings, moving 14 points ahead of Viñales, 21 ahead of Dovizioso and 22 ahead of Rossi.
“It is a small advantage, but it makes me optimistic - he comments - This is a track where we usually struggled. I thought I would lose points but instead I gained them. I think that the test in mid-July was a good move, both because we took a step forward with the bike and because we broke up the summer holiday.”
PEDROSA: I MISCALCULATED THE PIT STOP BY ONE LAP - Marquez found a valuable ally in his teammate Pedrosa who, with this second place finish, took points from the rivals. Dani confirmed Honda’s progress after the tests.
“I should have stopped a lap sooner - the Spaniard admits - I saw the opportunity but I waited. I was surprised at how quickly the asphalt dried, but the end result is positive anyway.”
Pedrosa had taken Marquez as his point of reference for the pit stop.
“He is very good in these types of situations and he is able to be fast straight away with the slicks on a damp track - he notes - But I had passed him, so I did not see when he went in. In the end, I lost 5 points to him, but I made up points over other rivals, but more importantly, I felt good on the bike throughout the entire weekend.”
