It is a realistic Marc Marquez who leaves the scene this past Saturday at Le Mans as part of the French Grand Prix. A day lived under a beautiful sun which melted his hopes as it made the asphalt of the track rise in temperature. Because it is clear that if the Hondas go well in the morning, they disappear from the radar after the lunch break. The eight-time world champion, who regretted his ninth fall of the season during FP4, will start tenth with three of his four companions behind him. We cannot say that he took advantage of his entry ticket for Q2 acquired in FP3 thanks to Fabio Quartararo's wheel... About which he said a word.
If the sun shone in Sarthe this Saturday illuminating a large audience whose fervor heated up the atmosphere, at Honda, the grayness was once again in order. A gloom that affects all HRC troops, including Marc Marquez which we thought was resistant to erosion and corrosion... However, it has been a while since we noticed a certain weariness in the eight-time World Champion. Taking stock of his Saturday in Sarthe, he noted: “ Before the season starts, you train with the intention of winning the world title. But when the season starts, your rivals put you in your place. Then you need to understand what you are capable of ».
« I realized that no matter how hard I try, we are not capable of fighting for the title. I have to understand that, so I set myself realistic goals, as I announced in Jerez. I can't pretend I can win when I'm struggling to finish in the top ten. Otherwise, frustration will follow frustration. I now set myself achievable goals, then the motivation increases, this was the case after fourth place in Jerez » he adds again. “ I didn't have good feelings in Q2, and when you don't have one, no matter how long you spin, it doesn't work. I understood that the possibility of falling was very high if I wanted a little more. I could progress between tenth and eighth grade, not much better ».
Marc Marquez: “ I hope I can talk about victories again in the future«
On his motorcycle, Marc Marquez precise : " when people ask me if our bike is better than last year, I have to say that last year's races were 15 or 20 seconds slower. Yes, our bike is better, but the competitors have improved more than us. Here at Le Mans, it's not about closing the points gap with the championship leader ».
Marc Marquez thus assesses the current forces which dominate this season: “ there are three drivers who go faster than the others, these are the three who got on the podium in Jerez. Then there are a few of us fighting for this top 5 ". From this trio, he distinguishes one element to which he pays a sort of homage, which would almost be like a transfer of power from one generation to another: “ Fabio Quartararo knows and understands that now I am not at the level to compete with him in a race. I try to look for life as always. I knew I was fast. In this aspect, he shows that he sees things very clearly and that his goal is the championship. He knows perfectly well that I am not at the level to argue with him about the pace of Sunday's race. ».
He finishes : " we are not here to fight. I can't lie or say that we're going to recover points, we're missing things, speed, being more consistent in all the sessions, being faster, riding the way I want. If you don't have all that, then now is the time to take it easy. I hope the speed will come ».
MotoGP France Le Mans: Qualifying
Credit classification motogp.com
