The press conference which concluded the Grand Prix MotoGP of Catalonia on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit brought together Francis Bagnaia, George Martin et Marc Marquez for their debriefing in response to questions from journalists.
If the scenario repeats itself, it nonetheless remains extraordinary, Marc Marquez managing to reach the podium despite a very poor place on the starting grid. And this delights the Gresini driver, while allowing him to be at the forefront of the general classification…
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
OK, ladies and gentlemen, hello and welcome to the post-race press conference following the Monster Energy Catalan Grand Prix. An all-Ducati podium led by reigning World Champion, Ducati Lenovo Team rider Pecco Banaia, who brilliantly recovered from his disappointment in yesterday's Tissot Sprint, with the race's key overtake, well safe in turn 5, which I think Pecco certainly appreciated in this Grand Prix. 2nd place and world championship leader, Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing. And for the first time since the last three Grands Prix of 2019, we welcome Marc Marquez for his third consecutive Sunday podium. Congratulations to the Gresini Racing driver. Gentlemen, congratulations to all three of you! As always, Barcelona a very long and very difficult race.
Speaking of fantastic performances, he did it once again, from 14th to 2nd in the Sprint yesterday, from 14th to 3rd in the Grand Prix, and I think it's fair to say that Marc Marquez is the undisputed king of the comeback in Catalonia. Marc, we've done the math, I think you've regained 45 places from your grid position to the results, at Le Mans and now here in Catalonia. A special feeling in front of your home crowd, the 93 fan club at turn 12. How on earth did you manage this incredible comeback once again?
Marc Marquez : “Yes, I'm not proud of it, especially because if you make this comeback, it's because you made a mistake. But apart from that, yes, starting from this 14th position forced me, or I have the impression that it forced me, to put this soft rear option. I don't know if it was better or worse, but in the end I had that extra grip in the first laps to overtake the other drivers. And yes in the end it was difficult, but even so, I caught up with the guys from Aprilia who were with the medium, and I had something more. So I'm happy! Happy to be third at a circuit where historically I've always struggled a lot throughout the weekend, but you know that extra work with the team gave us this podium which was incredible. »
On Friday, Pecco said that the 23 bike had some problems compared to the 24 because none of you, with the 23, was in the top 10. How can you deal with what you did and change things for yesterday and today, in order to be able to follow these guys?
“Yeah, that's one of the things, the hard things when you're in the first year with a motorcycle. At each circuit you can check a little bit what they did last year, but with your driving style everything is different. And then when we start and we have some problems, we're always late. And yes, on Saturday morning I tried something which helped me a lot, which was more in the direction of the other Ducatis, and yes, it already gave me the rhythm. But now we have to understand how to attack the time, how to avoid this push from the front, which is one of the problems of the 2023 bike. But I'm super happy because we're losing a little ground here, but we gain it in another place. So I'm happy and, once again, here in Montmelo it was very important for me to be on the podium because it's one of the most difficult circuits. »
What is this change? Is it the electronics, the chassis?
" The settings ! The settings and in the settings we adjust the electronics. Each setting has its electronics. »
Marc, can you explain to us how you modulate the throttle, how you play with the throttle to save the rear tire, which is the most important thing, especially with the soft tire?
“Looking at Pecco’s data from yesterday (laughs)! Yesterday he had better tire consumption and when you have a fast driver you copy and that's it. It's like that ! I know one of my weak points is long right turns, because I use a lot of angle, but you know, I got used to riding like that with Honda for 10 years and it's quite difficult to change. I'm trying to change, but it's quite difficult. But I understand the driving style of Jorge, of Pecco, and I try to copy the best of them. Of course, they are 4-5 years old, 5 years with this bike, he is a two-time world champion, so he rides the bike in a perfect way, so we are always learning something on every circuit. »
Marc, your third podium in a row, but you are only, let's say, third. You looked very happy, but you said at the start of the week that it was one of your most difficult circuits. Would you say that this podium starting from 14th place on the grid is even more important than second place at Le Mans, in Jerez, when you were closer to the top?
" Yes ! For me, yes, especially because in Jerez I had the pace to win, but I didn't have the confidence to do it, because it was the first time with Austin that I had the pace, and then I made a mistake. And in the Jerez sprint race I also made a mistake. So I didn't have confidence. Then, at Le Mans, I had the pace to win, and that's why I caught them. Here, I didn't have the pace to win, I had the pace to be in the Top 5. And starting from fourteenth place, it's even worse. But I just tried to concentrate, not to miss any braking points, to overtake the riders without losing time, because that's one of the most important things in the lifts. And yes, at the beginning it was difficult because some of them, like Morbidelli or other drivers, used the rear tire a lot and I was not able to overtake them. But then, little by little, I saw P5, but I didn't realize that I was fighting for P3 on the last lap, because I was concentrating on the gap and on driving. And yes, I'm super happy to be in P3 here in Montmelo, plus being 14th at the start. But if we want to fight with these two guys, we need to improve the qualifying practice. »
Casey Stoner #27 took the 27th victory for Ducati, then Pecco won #63, then Marco Bezzecchi won #72, then Martin won #89. Ducati now has 92 wins, so how will it fare at Mugello?
“Mugello won't be the best place to get the victory, especially because I imagine Pecco will be super fast there in the long corners, which are one of his strong points. But no stress, no panic, I'm enjoying, I'm happy and that's the most important thing for me. We will reach the second part of the season, where I hope to be more prepared with the bike, but it is true that with the 24 bike they will have more control. So yes, we'll see what we can do, but for me, it's already a pleasure to fight with these two guys in every race. »
We've often heard that in MotoGP, overtaking isn't as easy anymore, and that if you fail in qualifying, your race is almost over. Are you destroying this myth?
“The last two races, yes (laughs)! But I don't want to do it again, because in one of these comebacks I'm going to make mistakes, and that's normal because I take more risks in turn 1, turn 2, and to overtake I risk some blockages. But yes, we will see, we will see, I have to work well throughout the weekend, on Friday try to start in a good way, and yes, learn from these two guys who ride the Ducati very well. »
Marc, 41 points from the championship lead, is it time to seriously talk about a fight for the title?
“The same answer: if I want to fight for the title, I have to start in the first two rows, like them. This is one of the objectives, but it is true that they have something more. Because I have something on some circuits, but they are fast on all circuits. So we have to understand that, and yes, we can't fight on Friday, we can't fight in Q1 But like I said, being only 41 points behind first after six races, If you tell me that before start the season, I would say “where should I sign?” So I sign, I sign to finish in the top 3 at the end of the championship, because for me it would be an extraordinary season. »
If you had to choose one, what would be the strong and weak points of your two rivals?
“Pecco explained it perfectly. The strong points are there, and for the weak points, of course each rider has weak points but we are working on them. So yes, but we will see what we can do in the next races. »
Marc, do you see room for improvement for the GP23, and after more than 10 years with Honda, and now with Ducati, do you think you have become a better rider?
“I'm not a better driver, but I have more experience, but I'm not better than in 2013. I just have more experience, but in 2013 I had this attack on the first lap , for example, or during qualifying practice, which has (become) one of my weak points. So yes, it seems that we have to improve the 23 bike. I mean, I do with what I have, with my technical staff, we do the 100% because the philosophy of Ducati has always been the same: if you prove that you have potential and can fight, then maybe something can happen. But I'm not pushing for it, I'm just enjoying what I have, I'm giving my 100%, and the 23 bike isn't far from the 24. Of course it's improving a bit in some areas, yes, but I haven't tried the bike, so maybe in some areas the 23 is faster. So I'm enjoying it and I'm very happy with the bike. »
Marc, you keep saying the problem is that you're qualifying too far. What do you need to improve and how?
“I know what’s going on, but I need to figure out how to handle the situation. For example, one of my strong points is corner entry. When I put a new tire on, I can't use it, because the rear pushes too much forward. But with the Honda, I was used to riding like that for 10 years and especially on the first lap, it was like this: you throw yourself in, then you come out. But with this bike it's a little different. »
Marc, have you spoken with Gigi and the guys about the wing that came off? How did you ride without it?
“Yes, overall we talked about it joking. Sure, there were more wheelies, but the top speed was higher, so it's always a compromise. But in the end, the aerodynamics of the Ducati work super well, and yes, one of the most important points is that in fast corners, and yes, it compensates for the action of the weight super well. So I'm very happy to ride with the aerodynamics of the Ducati. »
Results of the 2024 MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
MotoGP Catalonia Marc Marquez
