MotoGP, Marquez sceptical: "We are at the same level as before"

The signs of recovery shown by Honda on the new track in India have not yet been confirmed on a proven track like the one of Motegi and Marc Marquez underlined this with a good dose of realism and pragmatism.

“At the Buddh Circuit there were limits on grip due to the heat, but here there is grip and everyone exits the corners well and is fast. The bike seems better, but I'm 14th and Mir 12th. Considering that three riders are missing, we are at the same level as before”, was his comment.

Shifting focus to what happened on Friday, the 30-year-old said he was quite satisfied. “It was a good day, but unlucky – he admitted - Some days I go into Q2 without the speed, but today I had the speed and I was not able to be in Q2. With the first tyre, I did a mistake on the first corner and I missed the lap. I touched the green also, but I lost a lot of tenths there. With the second tyre I missed the lap for a yellow flag. Then on the last lap it was a misunderstanding for me, because I never saw that yellow flag. I thought that my time was a 1m44.0s, and then I arrived on the last lap thinking I had to improve on 1m44.0s, and to improve on that is to ride on the extra-limit.”

As a result, there will be no immediate passage to Q2 and everything will have to be done again on Saturday. “It's not a given that I'll be able to perform well enough to get into the second phase. We are half-a-second slower than the top guys, the Ducatis are faster than us, KTM are faster than us and Aprilia is faster than us – he analysed – What bothers me about today is that I was fast. It's a shame I didn't go through, but I have to accept it. My riding was pretty good, but not natural, especially in some corners."

At the centre of transfer rumours and still without a team for 2024, the rider from Cervera preferred to concentrate on his main task. “Not knowing where I'll race doesn't affect my attitude. When I get on the track I do it 100% and with the aim of improving. The relationship with the manufacturer is intact. I will try all the new features on the program and give my opinion on how to progress."

Finally, regarding the new faces that have started to be seen in the garage since the Misano weekend, he cut things short: “Already in Misano I said there were some new faces there, new names, new people. We will see if they bring new ideas or the correct ideas. I’m not the guy who chooses where, how and who needs to make the bike. I’m the guy to evaluate on the race track and give my 100 percent on the race track.”