Álex Márquez started this 2019 Moto2 season quite timidly, so much so that after three contested events, we were already not giving much of his skin in the first title race carried out with a Triumph engine. Then Monsieur Frère landed in Europe and from there, everything changed. A spectacular recovery with no less than four successes, including three in a row. The one who now has the arguments to demand a rise in MotoGP explains his metamorphosis.
Needed a new rear tire Dunlop discovered during a meeting in Jerez where his team realized his potential, so that the winning machine started. Three successive victories from France to Catalonia, then another in Germany. A record which could have been even better without the falls in Spain and at Assen, a Batavian meeting where he was knocked to the ground by Baldassarri playing first place.
On this first part of the campaign, Alex Marquez does not, however, ignite: “ we weren't that bad in Argentina, but we had problems in Qatar and Austin. We reacted very well in Jerez, because we managed to reverse the trend. Unfortunately, we were unable to score any points. In Assen too, even if it's not our fault ».
The 23-year-old driver explains on Motorsport-total.com: “ I said that with Qatar, Argentina and Austin, we had three pretty strange tracks where you had to be there and score points, because if you try something crazy there, you can quickly end up with zero points . It was therefore important to take the maximum possible score for us in Jerez ».
With the seventh, third and fifth, the roadmap was respected. “ Then we arrived in Europe. The tracks there are quite similar and the grip is better, so we were faster », Continues Márquez. " We also got the new rear tire in Jerez, which is a bit bigger ».
« It was a positive development for us, with a little more support and better rear grip on corner entry, which was better. We also slightly adjusted the base of our bike, which worked very well ". At the Spanish Grand Prix, he was then the collateral damage of the fall of Gardner at the start then had to start again from the pit lane. Despite this setback, Jerez was a key moment: “ après ce week-end de course très fort, ce n’est pas seulement moi, mais toute l’équipe qui a percuté en se disant : “Ok, on peut le faire !” ».
He finishes : " we were always in the lead, and our reaction after the fall was very good for the whole team, it was this trigger that allowed us to do it and beat us like this ". Since then, the Marc VDS driver, with the exception of Assen, has won every race, taking four victories in the process. After nine rounds this season, he leads the World Championship with 136 points ahead Tom Luthi (128)
