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MotoGP, Marquez: "I like the new frame, but will continue with the old"

"I made my quickest lap with the new one, but I know the current one better. The duel with Vinales? It's important to understand the behaviour of other bikes"

MotoGP: Marquez: "I like the new frame, but will continue with the old"

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The king returns to his kingdom, and should be able to lay down the law in Brno too. Marc Marquez closes Friday in second place, having worked with used tyres in FP1 as well as carrying out some testing.

“The situation isn't bad, though it was difficult to understand out pace today as I tried too different frames with positive results. The positive thing was for me to feel the same sensations as I did through the first part of the season, and I did that".

Important work in fact.

“We carried out this test as tomorrow it might rain. I set my best time with the new frame, but the old one has many positives, and we don't need to work on it like we do the new one, which we'l focus on come Monday. If I'd had tough races recently, I'd go with the new, but seeing as the current situation is good, it's best to stick with the current frame”.

Then there are the tyres, an area #93 is not fully satisfied with.

"The rear tyre drops significantly, so it's even more important to work with used tyres to understand. The front tyre was too soft last year, in all its compounds. This year Michelin has worked and I'm getting on well with the hard, less so with the medium”.

In any case, Marc is consistently running at the sharp end, despite the many potholes and tyre deterioration.

“There are many holes but it's something we've seen at other tracks too, it's manageable. There's less grip than last year, but it's not a problem. Usually the gaps are greater at long tracks, here the first laps are made at a totally different pace to subsequent laps. We need to study everyone's pace, right now Dovizioso looks good”.

In conclusion, the world champion touches on his mini duel with Vinales during FP1.

“I knew he was coming up strong, having put in a fresh tyre, while I was working with used tyres, but when he passed me he ran wide so I went back past him. It's interesting to see the behaviour of other bikes up close, right now I'm quick at a track where we've suffered in the past”.

 

Translated by Heather Watson
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