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This time it is hard for Marc Marquez not to think big. Since he got on the Ducati he has always wanted to keep a low profile, but on Friday at Aragon he made all the difference. In the morning he was almost half a second faster than Martin, in the afternoon he was the only one to go under the 1m46s wall (and no one had ever managed it before). Not getting excited is difficult, also because both Jorge and Bagnaia are more than half a second behind him. "It's Friday, I have to stay calm and with my feet on the ground - the Team Gresini rider put the dampers on - My prediction is that tomorrow we will all be closer, my goal is to be on the front row or, if not possible, at worst on the second, otherwise I would have no chance in the Sprint and in the race. So I will continue with the same intensity and in the same way."
It was a different Friday than others for you.
"When you have the speed, everything works better and you can work more with the used tyres, focus less on the one lap. Everything is easier. We started with a good base."
Where did this improvement come from?
"Already in Austria I felt very good, even though this was not reflected in the results later. I was very comfortable because we are slowly discovering and changing little things that fit my riding style better. From there, we arrived at a circuit that is favorable to me and with perfect conditions for me, with a slippery asphalt, conditions that changed with every exit, there was little confidence on the front end, adapting quickly is one of my strong points. I set the track record and I think from here on the track will stabilize and the times will be closer."
Some more, some less, everyone struggled with the new asphalt. Not you.
"It's one of my strong points, as I said, I can adapt quickly to different conditions. In a test, when you do a lot of laps, I'm as fast as anyone, but I have the ability to go fast right away. I also have to say that they did a great job with the new asphalt because it's never easy to have one that has so much grip in the first year. Yesterday, walking around the circuit, I was a little worried about the patches on the asphalt, but on the bike you don't even notice them, they have the same grip as normal asphalt. The times say it all, I set the track record and tomorrow we will lower it a lot more."
Are you more satisfied with the track record or your pace?
"The feeling I had, I was having fun. On the third exit they signaled for me to come back to the pits and I just kept going, I was enjoying it (laughs)."
You seem surprised that you were so competitive.
"Yes, I expected to be fast because this is a track I like, but not with this advantage. It's not the first time it happens to me at Aragon on Friday and then the others come closer. So I don't have to stress, I know the others will decrease the gap."
Do you have a chance to go for the win?
"Today I say yes, it was my best Friday since 2021, so I'm in very good shape, although I don't want to put pressure on myself. Tomorrow I will have to maintain this level because the others will come closer. That said, I have a good opportunity but it's only Friday."
Do you think it is an advantage for you not to have raced here last year?
"No, because I didn't even train here, unlike other riders. It is a track that has always adapted well to my riding style and I am taking advantage of it."
Does it bother you that tonight the other Ducati riders will be able to study your data?
"No, because the GP23 and GP24 are a little different, you use different setups and you set the time in a different way. I'm realizing that I have to adapt the bike to my style and my crew chief is getting to know me more and more and knows what I need. I think the others will improve more because of their talent and their team than by looking at my data."
Could the GP23 have an advantage over the GP24 on this track?
"I don't know, I haven't looked at the other riders' data and I won't today because when you're fast you just have to ride with instinct. The GP24 puts a lot of torque on the asphalt and when there is little grip that is the limit, not the bike, in fact today Zarco on the Honda was in the top 10. The GP24 has already made a big step forward from the morning to the afternoon and will make another one tomorrow. They seem to have struggled today, but three 2024 bikes and two 2023 bikes are in Q2, so they are very fast."
