Marc Marquez took pole in Austin, but because of the penalty applied for disturbing Maverick Viñales, he will start from the fourth position on the grid. This is news that does not seem to condition the Spaniard, who maintains a serene expression on his face.
In qualifying, number 93 proved to be uncatchable as always, despite a crash in the early stages.
“Today was a positive day – number 93 began – We were able to take a step forward, maintaining the lap time. However, I must say that it is a strange pole, because I crashed and then went back out with the second bike that had a different setup.”
The Spaniard’s attention shifts to the penalty.
“I was coming out of pit lane and I didn’t expect someone to arrive from behind – he explained – Suddenly I heard an engine, so I moved inside, but it wasn’t enough to leave space. I was mainly keeping an eye on Iannone, who was ahead of me, and I didn’t want Andrea to take advantage of my slipstream.”
Marc then expounds on the episode.
“I usually don’t need to catch a slipstream, whereas some others can benefit from it – he pointed out – Race Direction said that I was on the best line. Usually I never do that, but this time that’s how it went.”
Marc then returns to what was discussed yesterday in the meeting with the Safety Commission.
“They said that there will be stricter penalties and I have already had the chance to verify that in the first person – smiled number 93 – Usually there was a warning first, whereas now the penalty arrived. If the rules are the same for everyone, I am in agreement.”
In the meantime, the Spaniard’s mind is already on Sunday.
“It will be important to make the right tyre choice – he said – On the front I’ll go with the medium, whereas on the rear I’ll use the medium or hard.”
On the road that leads to victory, Marc will need to reckon with Viñales, the other direct contender for the win.
“Maverick has a good pace and maybe it could be – he admitted – Sooner or later, someone will beat me. I can’t go crazy since the championship isn’t just Austin. If I don’t win, I won’t go crazy. The important thing is to earn points and battle for the podium.”