This Friday September 10, 2021, Marc Marquez answered questions from journalists from the Motorland Aragón circuit, at the end of the first day of the MotoGP Aragón Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Spanish driver, who will be competing this weekend on a circuit that has been successful for him so far.
As usual, we report here the words of Marc Márquez without the slightest formatting.
Tell us about your day and what happened with your fall.
“Today we had to change our plans a little because of the fall. We wanted to use the soft tire in FP1 and FP2 to understand for the duration of the race so yes, it changed the plans a little but on the other hand we were able to test the hard tire. It's true that I was angry after the fall because I felt that everything was under control. I widened and I was like "ok, stop because it's just free practice" but then I went to the dirty part and lost the front. I was angry about that, because I knew that after this fall we weren't going to follow our plans, and also because it was a situation that I felt under control and I lost the lead when I didn't I didn't expect it. »
Why didn't you straighten the bike when you realized it was slipping, with the wind blowing a lot?
« I gave up but not enough. I expanded but that wasn't my intention, and I've done this action a hundred times in my career and it's always worked. But what is certain is that for certain reasons this time it didn't work and I fell. »
Yesterday you explained why you have to be aggressive in the first laps, following Silverstone. Why are drivers in the middle and back of the pack more aggressive? Is it linked to the Moto2 luggage, the tires, something else?
« In the first group, everyone is fast and the first two or three can take a good trajectory. But from the middle of the group you never know in the first laps where you can brake because you brake early but others brake late, then drivers widen like what happened at Silverstone with Quartararo and Martín, then they return to the trajectory. It's a bit of chaos from sixth to last but that's because of this: Nobody knows the reference braking points in the first laps. »
Can you tell us where you are with your new chassis? Did you have any other modifications?
« We received changes to the chassis at Assen. I worked with it at Assen, then at the first Austrian GP I had modifications. At the second Austrian GP I returned to the Assen chassis, the same at Silverstone. Today I drove most of the time with the Assen chassis but also with another chassis that we are testing. »
Given the modifications made in Austria, can we talk about a third chassis?
« In Austria these were not real novelties. »
Tell us about the Assen chassis, which you seem to prefer.
« I feel better stability with this chassis, especially in fast corners, but I move more in slow corners so it's always a question of compromise. At the first Austrian GP we just put together a test program, we tried lots of different things and then at the second Austrian GP we went back to things that we knew and which had worked well in the first race of Austria and Assen. Now for the next races, and especially this one, Misano and the Misano tests, we need to understand which path to follow for the future in terms of the chassis. Other Honda riders try chassis and go in other directions but when they try my direction sometimes they like it, sometimes not. We seem a little lost but on my side of the box it's clearer each time, I just need to understand from here Misano the direction that best suits my driving style.
»
Can you tell us about your fall and tell us if it has to do with your brother, Álex?
« My brother didn't bother me, I was coming from behind, it's a very long straight line with wind. I let go but not enough and when I got to the dirty part I fell, nothing else. »
Of the three best rookies this year, that is to say Jorge Martín (MotoGP), Raúl Fernández (Moto2) and Pedro Acosta (Moto3), who do you think has the most merit and why?
« For me, Pedro Acosta, simply because Martín is doing very well but he is not the first to start like that when he arrived in MotoGP. It's the same for Raúl Fernández, he is above the others but he is not the first to do it in Moto2 either. Pedro Acosta is above the others and he is the first to do so when arriving in the world. »
Do you feel any changes in everything you try on the Honda?
«
We are making progress, but these are still small steps. We are there, then no, then yes. But it seems that all Honda riders are starting to improve. I said it at the start of the year when I started the season: My physique is one thing but the bike is another and we can't change everything from one race to the next, so we have to continue to work. Little by little we are progressing and this type of circuit can allow us to achieve good results. »
You work a lot on the chassis, but if there is a new engine, it must be linked to the chassis, so what are your working directions?
« Fortunately the chassis can be adapted during the season, but regarding the basic part I can't really say what the factory in Japan and HRC are doing but we are trying to understand different concepts, different styles of chassis and go from there decide with what we start the new project for 2022. These are prototypes, their evolution is constant. We have a base but we are trying things on the chassis, it's like 2019. We started with one chassis and knew it well when the new one arrived. In terms of driving I'm not yet 100% precise, that's why we do so many tests, so as not to choose the wrong route. »
What concept are you looking for?
« An easier, faster bike, with more grip, but generally speaking we try to find a versatile bike. This is what we look for every year. »
FP1/FP2 classification of the Aragón MotoGP Grand Prix:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
