MotoGP Brno Day 2, Marc Marquez (Ducati/3) Debriefing: "I don't like it, I hate it!", etc. (Full transcript)

🎤 Is this third place here worth a victory in the Balaton Sprint for you, considering the course, the conditions, the heat and everything else?
“This third place here is much more important than the win in the Sprint at Balaton. Yes, of course. Obviously, I think the main race will be different, but the most important thing is that the pace was there. I was able to catch them, but then I couldn't attack because we were very close in terms of pace and I felt some resistance from the front. So I decided to stay calm.”
"Yes, today I was close to the best rider, who was Pecco, on the same bike, and that's very important."

🎤 And also regarding tire choice. At Balaton, for the long race, you chose the medium tire, while Ducati perhaps recommended the soft. And here, it's the opposite? What happened?
"Yes, at Balaton I chose the medium tire, but Ducati said the soft one."

🎤 And here, they asked for the medium and you chose the soft?
“No, no, no, they were right at Balaton. My choice wasn’t the right one. Even though I won the race, it wasn’t the right choice. And here, they said soft, so I chose the soft. For all the Ducatis, they told us that the soft would offer more performance. That’s why we chose the soft. And in the end, that was indeed the case. If Ogura was there, it’s because he’s faster this weekend, not because of the tire.”

🎤 In the last lap, you were very close to the two leaders. Could you have tried to overtake them or not?
“No, no. I mean, on the penultimate lap, I was very close, I was just waiting for Ogura to try an aggressive move, like he always does. I mean, in the last few Grands Prix, he’s always tried to overtake on the last lap. Not a crazy move, but an aggressive one.”
So I was very close, waiting for another move, but I saw that this time Ogura was calmer. I then decided to be calmer as well, because in the end, in a Sprint, if you try to overtake… Imagine I try to overtake and I lose the front or something like that: it's zero points and, on top of that, a Long Lap for tomorrow.
So, to gain just three or two more points, the risk you take and the penalty you could receive the next day… I learned that the risk-benefit ratio wasn't good.

🎤 You were talking yesterday about managing your energy. Today, with these very high temperatures, it was really difficult. Are you satisfied with how you managed it? And what about tomorrow, when it will be hot and the race will be twice as long?
“Yes, I’m happy with how we’re trying to manage the energy. But in this way, you can’t fight or achieve a perfect weekend, especially because yesterday I only pushed four laps in FP1 and four laps in FP2.”
This morning, if you look at the pace, it's true that I was focusing more on the rhythm. But trying things out and checking for differences is extremely difficult.
However, it's the only way for me to survive the weekend right now.

🎤 What are the expectations for tomorrow?
"The goal is to finish in the top 5, especially starting fifth. Let's see if I can get a better start, because I lost a few places today. It will be a race like today's, from start to finish."

🎤 Your brother Alex won't be there…
"It was a difficult decision for him, not easy for a driver. He trained and improved, and if he has to do the same in the Netherlands, he will because the circuit is much more physically demanding."

Results of the Sprint at the MotoGP Czech Grand Prix in Brno :