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It seemed like the time had come for the umpteenth solo performance by Marc Marquez, but that is not how it went. Or rather, the third spot on the grid that he earned is still an excellent result, given the difficulties of Dovizioso and (especially) Viñales, but the first spot on the grid seems to have slipped through the Spaniard’s fingers following a wrong choice. We are obviously talking about Marc’s decision to put on slicks at the end of the session, thereby jeopardising his decisive attack for the pole. “It was too soon to do it – Marc analyses – but after being fast with the soft tyres, doing a time that I knew would ensure at least the second row, I decided to take the gamble. The time I did wasn’t bad. I could have pushed harder, but it would have been too risky. I ride for the race and the first row was my primary goal, so I look at the positive side of my choice, namely the many things that I was able to figure out by putting on the slicks.”
In any case, as we have said, Marc will start the race as one of the favourites tomorrow given the great confidence he has shown in every session.
“Both in FP1 with a lot of water and in FP4 with less water I felt at ease and I remained among the leaders. Being close in any conditions is the key to fighting for the championship and that is what I am trying to do on this track too. In general, I prefer to race on a dry track because it’s safer, and that is what I would like for tomorrow too. If it rains, we will at least be able to rely on the data we’ve collected over the last couple days.”
So this will be a crucial round in the battle for the title, where number 93 will be able to give his followers a decisive shove.
“It all depends on the conditions and the sensations that come out of them. In the current situation, my first thought is to look at my rivals. It takes patience to win a title and in the event of rain, the primary goal is not to lose points. Viñales? He is clearly struggling. In the wet, Dovizioso will be the more dangerous adversary, whereas on a dry track it is all a big unknown.”
Along this line of thinking, Marc looks at the top riders relatively speaking.
“To be honest, I don’t care about the others right now. In any case, the fastest seem to be Lorenzo and Zarco, and Petrucci could be dangerous in the rain. I am in a situation where I can’t make mistakes. If striving for the win is possible, I’ll do that, but still with an eye on my championship rivals.”
