Austin MotoGP J.3 Race Conference Marc Marquez: The change of strategy, Nicky Hayden, the whistles, the gestures at the end of the races, etc. (Entirety)

This post-race press conference for the Grand Prix of the Americas brought together Marc Marquez, Maverick Vinales and Andrea Iannone.

As usual, we report here our translation of the entirety of the words of Marc Marquez, the winner, without journalistic formatting or distortion.

---

Marc Márquez : “Today was a different race. I mean from the moment I got up this morning, and even yesterday, my strategy was pretty clear. I worked all weekend to try to do this kind of race and I attacked from start to finish to try to create a gap. As I started 4th, at one point I thought maybe I had changed that, but I was able to lead the race from the first lap and then attacked for 3 or 4 laps. Then, when I saw a significant gap, I was able to manage the race. It was a long race, because when you lead like that, it's not what I like. But today I felt like that.”

Your pace was fantastic. Did you experience any heat during this race?

" No ! Not today ! Only during the first lap, a bit at one corner, but apart from that I had everything more or less under control. I mean you're on a MotoGP and you can always crash and make a few mistakes, but I was very focused. You know, it's been a special weekend. I had a particular motivation and I had a particular pressure, but I like it.”

This is your 6th consecutive victory here, and now the championship is very close…

" Yes ! It's important to get back into the leading group in the championship. OK, I'm 2nd, but I'm fighting for the top after scoring zero points in Argentina. But the most important thing is how you feel with the bike. The feeling is soft. I mean I really appreciate it, but now the most important thing is to see how it will work in Europe. In Europe, these are completely different circuits, narrower and smaller. Maybe we will have to change the settings and the mass that we have now, on the kind of circuit like today, works very well.”

This race seems to have been the easiest of your career…

“No, it wasn't the easiest victory, but it's the first time I've had a different approach to the race. I mean normally every year I waited behind someone and attacked towards the end because that way the race is shorter and I prefer it. But frankly, after what happened in Argentina, today I changed my strategy and tried to lead from the start and widen the gap. Because I felt during the tests that it was possible. Then I did it. When I saw that there were 5 seconds, Vinales was still there and I pushed a little more, and I stayed around 7 seconds to just finish the race.”

So what was your easiest race?

“I don’t remember but maybe in 2014, on some circuits easier than this one. But the most important thing is that now the feeling is soft. I feel really comfortable with the bike and with the way the team works.”

This is of course the first race to be held here since Nicky Hayden passed away. Was this an additional motivation?

“Yes, of course, that was a special motivation and I had already told my team and Honda that I wanted Nicky's flag, because he was a special rider for the USA, a special rider for Honda and a good friend. I had a really good relationship and had the opportunity to beat his teammate in a race at Phillip Island. So yes, it was a special moment, and of course, I appreciated being able to take a ride in his memory.”

You say that you already feel very good on the bike. How many races did it take last year to get this feeling?

“Last year I started to feel good after Montmelo (Barcelona). This year, we started very well, from Qatar. Last year it was here where for the first time I had some doubts that Vinales could win the race, because he was very strong here. But today I started the race in a very determined way and everything was clear: the pace was there. It is now important that we confirm this feeling in Europe because they are different circuits. For this reason it will be important to start well in Jerez.”

You were widely whistled at the end of the race. How did you feel at that moment?

“(Silence and pouting) another motivation. That's all ! »

Do the events in Argentina give you additional motivation? And how do you manage to have such a strong mind when you have suffered two falls, been punished, and come back to dominate everyone? Do you train mentally like you do physically?

“Of course, this weekend I felt extra pressure and another motivation. But my motivation is linked to the fact that I like to express myself on the track. There is a way. That's why I tried to build a big gap today. And that's all. Of course, when I feel extra pressure, I like it and feel more comfortable. Sometimes it’s the opposite, but this weekend it was going in the right direction because it gave me that extra energy that you need in changes of direction here.”

At the end of the race, you stood up on your motorcycle and gestured. What was the significance?

“First of all, that I had been calm. Then I went to Brazil for Unicef, to kind of help the children because Unicef ​​helps them go to school and gives them extra motivation because sometimes they come from difficult places. They are between 8 and 10 years old and I promised them that if I won, I would do these gestures with my hands because it's a kind of dance for them and something important. I was able to think about that on the bike.”

Your times during the warm up seemed like the trailer for the race. Did you use the same tires in the warm up as during the race?

" Yes. First of all, the plan was to try a few things during the Warm up because I wasn't 100% satisfied yet. Then we changed the plan and I told Santi that I wanted to do some sort of simulation of the first laps of the race. And I did it with the exact same tires. Of course, it wasn't the same temperature, but it was with the same tires and a full tank. That was the main reason because like I said, when I woke up, the objective and the strategy were already clear.”

Austin MotoGP Race Standings

1	93	Marc Márquez	Honda	41'52.002
2	25	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+3.560
3	29	Andrea Iannone	Suzuki	+6.704
4	46	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	+9.587
5	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	+13.570
6	5	johann zarco	Yamaha	+14.231
7	26	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	+18.201
8	53	Tito RABAT	Ducati	+28.537
9	43	Jack Miller	Ducati	+28.671
10	41	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	+28.875
11	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	+31.355
12	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	+34.993
13	44	Pol Espargaró	KTM	+37.264
14	30	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	+39.335
15	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Ducati	+40.887
16	38	Bradley SMITH	KTM	+48.475
17	45	Scott REDDING	Aprilia	+49.995
18	12	Thomas LUTHI	Honda	+51.115
19	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	+59.055
20	10	Xavier SIMEON	Ducati	+59.747
21	21	Frank MORBIDELLI	Honda	+ 1'00.513
		Not Classified
	42	Alex Rins	Suzuki	10 lapses
	55	Hafiz Syahrin	Yamaha	12 lapses
	17	Karel ABRAHAM	Ducati	12 lapses