MotoGP Assen J1 Marc Márquez: “I'm worried about Lorenzo but I have to think about my championship”

Friday's Dutch Grand Prix wasn't easy at Assen for a Honda factory that saw Lorenzo injured and Marquez struggling with an RC213V that still needs to be fine-tuned. The championship leader must keep a cool head in this small storm which passed through the Repsol Honda box during this first Dutch day. On this, we can trust him…

Marc Márquez was not insensitive to the accident and the serious injury of Jorge Lorenzo this Friday in Assen. But he has enough problems with his Honda RC1123V, as shown by the 6th and 7th places during the first two free practice sessions, not to lose track of the competition. The leader of the World Championship lost, on the 4,541 km long track, no less than 0,775 seconds on the best time of Maverick Vinales.

« Of course I found out what happened, that's what you said in the TV interviews after FP2" Mark said. “ Until then, I was unaware of this spinal fracture. It's bad for Jorge, as well as the team. Jorge has had a lot of problems this season, but now he is injured again. He looks like he's going to fall every time he pushes harder with the Honda. This is certainly difficult for him to understand. But Honda is doing everything to help him ».

This moment of empathy consummated, he adds: “ we can't waste time worrying about these things. I'm worried about him, of course. I have to make the best of our situation and get the best out of my team and my league ».

Despite the unfavorable Friday, Marc Márquez expects a lot from the next two days. “ I had a usual Friday » said the Honda official. “ I worked on my race pace and checked which tires could be suitable for the race. I saved the soft tires. I thought this might knock me out of the top 10, but for now I'm qualified for Q2. So we will continue and improve the configuration ».

« We are in the same situation after Friday as in Montmeló. Four or five drivers have a very similar pace. So now we must work diligently on the details to create a better foundation for Sunday » said Mark. “ We still need one to two tenths per lap if we want to fight for victory. The Honda behaves problematically in fast corners, this has an unfavorable effect ».