As usual, we report here the raw words of Marc Márquez, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.
Considering that it's not one of your favorite circuits, you must be happy to score 20 points, even if you are perhaps a little disappointed to have lost another duel with Andrea Dovizioso...
Marc Márquez : “of course, I am very very happy, in particular because it is one of the worst circuits for us, one of the circuits where we struggle the most, and in particular this weekend I struggled a lot to understand and to manage the front tire. Because with my riding style, it was too soft and even the hard one didn't work because it is different compared to last year. So I struggled a lot and I drove the entire race with the rear tire. And when you do the whole race driving with the rear tire, that means you use a lot of rubber. Towards the end I saw that Dovi's speed was better and so I just tried to push to see what would happen in the last corner. And yes, I lost, but I am very happy with these 20 points. I tried and I know I gave 100% this weekend. I was very close to them (Dovizioso and Crutchlow) and I learned a lot about Ducati. We have a good package and we arrive at better circuits and with better conditions for us.”
It's not a big surprise to find yourself with Dovi, but did anything surprise you during this race where the leading group was very tight?
“Of course, today's race was very strange. I mean the pace was very slow. But it was better for me, much better, because, as I said, I had problems saving the rear tire, but also the front. And I think the others had no problem with the front. For my driving style, the allowance provided on this circuit was not the best, but we will get to other circuits and it will be better. So we survived, with 20 points, on a circuit where we struggle a lot, where I suffered two falls yesterday. I was fast for 3 or 4 laps then I destroyed the front tire. We survived and that's the most important thing. Of course, it's also interesting to see that during the pre-season we saw a lot of names, a lot of manufacturers, but when the real moment arrives, it's the same names (as last year), plus Valentino who always happens on Sunday (laughs). He finished 5th and that’s interesting. This is the time to understand and improve for Argentina.”
Did you suffer from your shoulder during the race or did it limit you a little?
" No. No no. As for the fitness, the race was of course easy because the pace was very slow at the start, and as I said, it was better for me, both for the fitness and for the tires. Regarding the shoulder, you feel that the muscles are working differently but now I have two more weeks to prepare well, and for my riding style, it's OK.
Did you lose the race because of the engine?
" No no no. The engine got me 2nd position because, believe me, last year I had better pace and felt better with the chassis, but that's only because the front tire in the allocation was different . I mean I was able to use the hard. But it's something I'm not complaining about: in some races it will be better for us, and in others it will be better for other manufacturers. Michelin believes in a certain aspect, and we saw that the hard front tire worked very well on the first day because the temperature was higher. But yesterday and today it was very, very cold and I was not able to use the hard front tire. That's why I used the K. The last time I used the Michelin K tire here, the medium, I finished 6th. So yes, the engine gave me this bonus to finish in 2nd place. I prayed before the race that the pace would be slow and Dovi brought me a slow pace. I tried at the end, but my rear tire was finished, because like I said, I only rode with the rear.”
It's the 5th race which is decided in the last corner between you and Andrea. How did you race that one and was it harder or did you have a better chance of winning?
“It was a replay of last year. But last year I had more chances than this year. This year I tried because I had to try (laughs). It's true. But I already knew: he braked late, and I couldn't brake the bike the way I like with the medium front tire. So yes, I tried to see what was happening, to prepare for the corner exit and to see what the engine could do. I think we finished 3 thousandths closer to him but it wasn't enough. But anyway, yes, we tried and I’m happy with it.”
How would you feel if the complaint against Ducati ended up on the green carpet?
“I just try to give 100% on the track. Today there was a rider faster than me and it was Dovizioso. So he beat me.”
MotoGP, Qatar J3: classification
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 42'36.902 |
| 2 | 93 | Marc MÁRQUEZ | Honda | +0.023 |
| 3 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +0.320 |
| 4 | 42 | Alex RINS | Suzuki | +0.457 |
| 5 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +0.600 |
| 6 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +2.320 |
| 7 | 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +2.481 |
| 8 | 36 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | +5.088 |
| 9 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +7.406 |
| 10 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARÓ | Aprilia | +9.636 |
| 11 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Yamaha | +9.647 |
| 12 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARÓ | KTM | +12.774 |
| 13 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Honda | +14.307 |
| 14 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | +14.349 |
| 15 | 5 | johann zarco | KTM | +15.093 |
| 16 | 20 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Yamaha | +15.905 |
| 17 | 88 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | +16.377 |
| 18 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | +22.972 |
| 19 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | +23.039 |
| 20 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM | +43.242 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | Aprilia | 2 lapses | |
| 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 10 lapses | |
| 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 13 lapses |
Photo credit : MotoGP.com
