Saturday in Misano turned out to be more complicated than expected for Marc Marquez. First qualifying that saw him start fourth in the second row, not optimal on a circuit where the gaps between riders are really minimal. In the Sprint, however, the Ducati rider got off to a great start and then positioned himself behind a very fast Bezzecchi to give battle. The two bikes, Ducati and Aprilia, were going well in the hands of the two riders, on one side the Spaniard who is fighting for the world championship, on the other the young Italian who was fighting for the glory of victory at his home circuit. On lap six Marc made his move, but then came the mistake that ended his race and his so far perfect track record in the sprints.
Marc didn't flinch, not even after the celebrations from part of the spectators for the crash (not the first time), "there are those who think I'm from another planet, I'm human," he commented ironically to reporters, but about the boos he went down hard "they are acts that define them, better not to give them importance." The importance, the real one for Marc, is that numbers in hand from this weekend the title race will be between two riders, and both bear the surname Marquez.
You fought with Bezzecchi for a long time, were you on the limit?
"In that corner I was, but I wasn't riding on the limit all the time," Marc explained, "I was riding well, at that moment my pace was better that's why I tried to attack him. There are a lot of people who think I'm from another planet, but I'm human. I managed to do the hardest thing and made a mistake in the easiest one. I forced too much and went a little wide, it was a typical crash here at Misano. I was expecting more in qualifying, I would have preferred the front row but we couldn't because of some problems, although with a little patience in the first laps then everything settled down."
Without the crash would it have been a good fight or would you have put some distance between you?
"I think tomorrow Bezzecchi will be the fastest rider here at Misano, especially because the rear tyre did not drop so he will be competitive. It's not easy for me to understand, but he isn't my main rival in the championship."
Was beating Bezzecchi on the Aprilia with the Ducati important?
"I don't care, there are six races left in the championship and the title battle is between only two riders, the only goal right now is that."
Some people celebrated for your crash as if it was the victory of their favorite rider.
"Well, with these attitudes you define yourself, you should not give them even more attention."
You don't seem overly angry.
"Nobody is perfect, in the end I took risks and it has always gone well this season, but today I made a mistake. Maybe I didn't hold the tyres well at temperature after overtaking, but I'm relaxed. In the box they obviously weren't happy but that's part of racing. Crashing isn't nice, but if you do it while you are in the lead it means you are fast. There are still a lot of points up for grabs, people always talk about when I will win the championship but the most important thing is to get it."
For the math when you win it is up to you, you can do it already in Japan.
"We're going to try, both tomorrow and next weekend, but to do it you have to have the same mentality as always. It means continuing to fight for wins, but also and most importantly finishing races and not making mistakes. You can make them, but you have to learn from them."
Yesterday you mentioned the possibility of losing focus when you win either a title or are close to it.
"That was not the case today, I was focused and it was my first mistake in a sprint. It can happen but I'm still happy because from today the title anyway will go to the Marquez family."
Long race tomorrow, could the medium on the rear be an option?
"With the soft I have some difficulty because it pushes a lot on the front, it was also a problem in qualifying. With the medium instead I feel better and the bike is more stable. Tomorrow we will try to manage the same dynamics trying to be close to Bezzecchi, who is the rider with the best pace at the moment here in Misano."