The MotoGP riders having obtained a place on the first row of the starting grid, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Iannone, were invited to this post-qualifying press conference for the 2016 Czech Republic Grand Prix.
As usual, in order to avoid any abusive journalistic interpretation, we now offer you a “raw” translation of the entirety of the words of Marc Marquez, the pole sitter.
An extraordinary qualifying lap…
“Honestly, before the start of qualifying, I said to myself 'ok, the first row will be a good result' because the time that Lorenzo did this morning was extraordinary. I wasn't sure I would repeat this time but I was able to do a truly perfect lap. Ok, a few overtakes in the last corner but for the rest, I benefited from a slight aspiration from Valentino. It helped me a lot to get pole position. so I'm happy for pole, but I'm perhaps even more satisfied with FP4 because throughout the weekend I struggled with the worn tires. We changed the settings to FP4 and I was able to ride 56 medium. It's a good rhythm, similar to Lorenzo's. Iannone's pace is also quite fast. So we'll see tomorrow but if the race is dry, I now feel ready to fight for the podium at least, and then we'll see if we can fight for victory. »
The weather is very uncertain...
It looks like the forecast is for a wet warm up tomorrow morning but it might be dry for the race. If it's wet, on wet tires, then we will try to find our best level there and trying to finish the race will be important. We have that we are competitive in the dry; in the wet, we'll see. »
What happened yesterday at turn #13?
“Yesterday, I avoided a big fall. Great heat. It was even hotter than in 2014, with the photos during the test. But when I picked this one up, my first thought was to hope the camera was following me, and it was; the camera followed me. So it’s a nice show for the fans. But I hope I don't do it again because you also have to be lucky to get that kind of heat back. »
Could you have gone even faster without Valentino and Pol?
“Yes, maybe I lost a little time in the last corner with Pol, but the time I gained during the whole lap with the small slipstream was much bigger. You can always improve a little bit, but if you look at my sectors, it was the best lap and best sectors combined. So I didn't expect to be on pole and I didn't expect to do this time. Normally I'm a solo rider, but this time I found a good slipstream and maybe that brought me pole. »
Iannone and Rossi will be competitive tomorrow?
A priori, they are slower. The gap is big over one lap. But over the distance of the race, in race pace, I'm even a little slower, by one or two tenths. I'm satisfied because this morning it was five tenths on Lorenzo. This afternoon it was really much better with the worn tires. We have improved the settings a lot. So I think there will be four or five pilots; the two Yamaha riders plus Iannone. We cannot forget Vinales. He drives well too and I think at the start of the race he can be there. It's important to start from the first row because it's a little difficult for me to overtake, because we lose a lot of acceleration. but we can manage the settings to find a better compromise in the corners. »
What have you improved in FP4?
“Overall we tried different things. Yesterday we focused more on electronics. We tried new things but I didn't like them so we went back. Then, this morning, we saw that the fins offered potential, so we kept them for FP4. This has improved slightly. Then we improved the settings. One of my problems is that when the tire deteriorates, I slip a lot. I was unable to find any grip and was losing even more acceleration. But we found something that now allows me to drive smoother and faster. This is the first objective on this circuit. You always try to copy the best driver. Here, Jorge was the fastest in FP3, so I tried to copy his style more here. It's completely different, but it works well. »
Last Sunday, a Spanish driver (Joan Mir) won her first Grand Prix…
“Yes, I have since the Spanish championship. Already there, I had seen his talent. We also rode together on a few tracks. He's a talented boy. Maybe when he has all things in order he will be a really strong driver for the championship. I believe in his talent so I think this won't be his last victory. He will win other races. »
The track seems very bumpy…
“Ultimately you try to tune the bike to absorb the bumps, but ultimately you have to find a compromise. Because if you only focus on the bumps, you lose time on the rest of the circuit. The track is quite bumpy. Last year we already complained to the Safety Commission. This year it seems much worse. So we complained a bit again yesterday to the Safety Commission and sooner or later we will have to re-surface this track. But it’s there and you adapt. And we will also go to another fairly bumpy circuit in two weeks, at Silverstone. Bumps are something that affects everyone, so you have to deal with them. »
Next year you stay at Honda with your team. Is this an advantage over Lorenzo?
“For me, everything remains the same, I have my dream team and so I keep it. Of course, I could be more focused (than Lorenzo). I know what I'll get. We will of course try to improve the bike, the engine, and all those things. But I think Jorge is professional and he can separate these two things. Next year is a different story. Maybe it will be better, maybe slower, maybe faster, but we'll see. For the moment, we are keeping our focus for this year and I think that will not play a role. »
Is it true that you use the rear brake for 80% of a lap? It's much more than the Yamaha...
“It of course depends on the circuit and the problem you have. But I think we use it about the same on corner entry. the main difference is that I use the rear brake on the straights to avoid the wheelie. Yamahas and Ducatis use it less because they are more capable of keeping the front wheel (on the ground) with the electronics or the motor, we don't know. Overall, I use it more because I use it in a straight line. It's like that. When entering a corner, sometimes in a few corners, it depends on the situation, but of course you can also drive without a rear brake. »
You are very strong in sector 2. Because there are not many accelerations?
“I will repeat the same thing. I think the reason is that there are no big accelerations. We also have two left turns, which is important to me. It's always faster. But the main reason, in my opinion, is acceleration. When I'm someone, I see where I'm losing. I hope that tomorrow I can improve the acceleration behind the others, and maybe I will lose less in the other sectors. »
