Dominant since the start of the trials to the finish line in Aragon, Marc Marquez not'a left only one chance to his opponents; his mistake during the third round where he almost lost everything. But the Honda driver, once again, managed to restore a desperate situation and was thus able to win a race which put an end to the doubts which were beginning to arise.
He was therefore the guest of the press conference which also brought together Jorge Lorenzo et Valentino Rossi.
As usual, in order to avoid any abusive journalistic interpretation, we offer you a “raw” translation of the entirety of the Honda driver’s words.
Everything showed that you were going to win but you gave yourself a lot of heat...
“(Laughs) Yes, after the warm up, everything seemed under control, but you know, in racing, and especially this year, as long as you're not in the race, the feeling changes a little bit every time you go out on the track. And today was no different. I came out and it wasn't the same feeling as during practice, but anyway I tried to attack and lead the race to open up a gap. But I got really hot at turn #7 (laughs), I was already on the ground and I don't know how I avoided falling. After that, I said to myself “ok, calm down” and little by little I gained places and time on Valentino. When I caught up with him, I just took a lap off, then when I passed him, I attacked to open up a big enough gap to win the race. »
52 points ahead is comfortable…
“Yes, this victory was important. It was important because since Germany, and more particularly Austria which was in the dry, and we could not win again. And the second equally important point is that the second driver who, in this case, is Valentino, was gradually gaining on me, and it was important to stop that because otherwise his mentality would increase and we would start to have some doubts. But after this victory, I feel good on the bike again, and I was waiting for this race because on the calendar there was a red point to attack and win, and everything went as planned. »
You are two races ahead with only four remaining...
“Yes, it's a good advantage, but as we saw today we have to be very focused because it's really easy to fall. We are now going to the Asian tour and it is one of the most difficult parts of the season because it is three races in a row. But we must keep the same mentality, the same concentration. We know that on some circuits we will struggle more, and on some, less, but we have to stay like now, calm and try to finish all the races. »
You seemed very emotional on the podium. Were you on the verge of tears?
“No, no, no (laughs). I was on the edge when my brother made a podium (laughs). It's true, because he was in a really difficult period, but now, with this podium, he is here and he is working a lot. There, I was close, but on the podium, no, it was just the emotion of being happy and I celebrated with the team, but no (big smiles). »
You can win the title in Japan…
“(Negative nods) No, I won't win the title in Japan (laughs). I would like to because it is the home circuit for Honda, but I don't think so. We have to wait, we have to be patient, we cannot make the slightest mistake. You know, “where” is not important, what is important is winning. So we have to keep the same mentality, and we know that Japan will perhaps be a circuit where we will struggle more, but we will arrive at another track which will be better for us. »
When you passed Jorge, you waved with your hand…
“Yes, because it was the first lap and it was the first overtaking, at turn #15 which was a strong point for me, and I didn't calculate well, it was a little too tight for a first lap and I apologized. I miscalculated and luckily nothing happened. »
You just talked about a red point for this circuit. What's next?
“Phew… We'll see, but I think Phillip Island and Valencia are good circuits for me, but I was also strong at Motegi last year in the dry, although it was different in the wet. For Malaysia, with the new coating, we will see how we can manage, but yes, we have to keep the same mentality; If we arrive on Sunday and we can't win on a circuit where I put a red point, it's not a problem, we have to wait. »
