The press conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix brought together Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi, Álex Rins, Marc Marquez, Jack Miller and Jaume Masiá.
As usual, we report here the raw words of Marc Marquez, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.
The winning streak in Austin ended in perhaps frustrating fashion, but now that's behind you and you're probably looking ahead, even though the championship has changed quite a bit...
Marc Márquez : “sure, it was frustrating, but only on Sunday, not for 2 weeks. It was only Sunday and from Monday I was focused on Jerez. The most important thing for me is that with the team we understood why I crashed because I was riding very well and I was very confident with the bike. So it was difficult to understand but, after analyzing a lot of things, we understood, so yes, we focused only on Jerez to maintain the same level since I feel very good with the bike. I feel very good since Qatar and that is the most important thing, so we must continue like this.”
You won here last year and that really kicked off your season. What have you worked on on your bike to do the same?
“Yes, we arrived here last year with exactly the same number of points. And yes, we will try to be competitive this weekend because it is a circuit that I like and a circuit which normally corresponds well to my driving style. We need to understand the new surface and the level of our opponents, then the track conditions in the afternoon. Because in the morning, everything is easier while everything is more difficult in the afternoon. So we will have to try to understand and try to be competitive from the start.”
Do you laugh with Jaume Masiá because when you started you also had to ballast your bike a lot?
“First of all, I have known Jaume for a long time because he was in the Estrella Junior team in the Spanish championship. He was already very talented there and he is showing it now. He can be very competitive. There, I laugh because I know this feeling from the first Grand Prix where he leads the championship. His heart beats at 130! So I just tell him to stay calm (laughs) and not to worry. After FP1, everything will be perfect.”
Why did you crash in Austin?
“Regarding the fall, of course it was ultimately my fault since I fell. But during the weekend in Austin, I said over and over again that we had some little issues that we needed to resolve, and those little issues were there during the race. It's a track where there are these very strange corners in first gear, and it was the first time in the championship where we had these kinds of corners. We had a problem. For me, it was difficult to understand why I crashed because I was riding very well and very smoothly, and I didn't expect it. But after my team analyzed it in depth, we understood that the fall was coming from something. I can't tell you what, but it came from something I wasn't expecting because it didn't happen every round. Some rounds yes, some rounds no. But they fixed that, and that’s the most important thing.”
Dani Pedrosa will have a turn to his name tomorrow. What do you think ?
" I like this ! If it's a turn that's still special to you, it's still a pleasure for me. I have one in Aragón, at turn 10, because it is one of my favorite corners in the MotoGP championship. I'm having a lot of fun there and so I was very happy to have my name in this corner. And as Valentino said, Jerez is definitely the place for a corner in Dani's name, and especially this corner since he was incredibly fast in this one. I remember how fast he was here last year. He drove very well at Jerez and we struggled in that Dry Sac corner. Congratulations to him! ".
The famous goalkeeper Iker Casillas, 37 years old, experienced a heart attack. What does this mean to you?
“Exactly like Valentino said.” It's strange sometimes and hard to understand why, because he's an athlete, he has a healthy lifestyle and everything was controlled by his team. Every year he took tests. It's hard to understand but in this case the most important thing is that it's just a warning and I hope he can come back stronger, and soon. In the end, it's life and you have to appreciate it every day: If you can do something today, don't wait until tomorrow! ".
Would the fall have occurred if you had been able to do FP3?
" No ! No, because in the end it was a fall, and this “little problem” had been there since Argentina. We expected something and we changed something for Austin. We thought we had it sorted there but that wasn't the case. But now they've already done some testing with it and it looks like it's fixed. It's important, but it's something that's normal because we're only in the third race of the championship, now in the 4th, the engine is new so it happens sometimes. But the most important thing is that after a mistake, after a 0 in the championship, we are only 9 points behind the first. So it’s nothing: we’re here! ".
Yesterday marked 25 years since the death of Ayrton Senna. What did this great pilot leave you?
“I of course know his story, the way he drove, his accident and everything else, but of course I wasn't following this weekend like Valentino. But he was one of those drivers that I appreciated because he gave everything on the track. It didn't matter how many titles he had or how many championships he won, it was his way of driving, his way of giving his all on the track, his passion. These are the kind of athletes I like and would like to be.”
Questions from social media: what advice would you give to Jaume Masthere ?
“The best thing is to start FP1. Because until FP1, he will be nervous and all that (laughs). But yeah, and just try to have fun and don't think about preseason. Just think about this Grand Prix and appreciate the Spanish fans.”
Question from social networks: What is your favorite part of the circuit?
“The last turn. It’s Valentino’s turn (laughs).”
Photo credit: MotoGP.com
