MotoGP is about to begin the second round of the 2022 season. After the Qatar GP won two weeks ago by Enea Bastianini on the Ducati GP21 fielded by the Gresini Racing team, the paddock goes for the first time as part of a racing weekend on the new Mandalika track, in Indonesia.
Marc Márquez's mission this weekend will be to continue his progress and validate his good performances in Qatar, where he managed to secure a place on the front row in qualifying before finishing the race in fifth position. The Spanish driver gave his impressions in the run-up to the Indonesian GP, and we transcribe his entire words here.
Marc, you had a very good first round, with a front row start and a top 5 finish. What can you expect from this second event of the season in Mandalika?
« As you say, we had a very solid weekend in Qatar. Not that we achieved a brilliant feat, but we were constantly in the rhythm, and able to fight at the front. Of course I tried to do better, I tried to finish on the podium and I tried to follow Enea Bastianini as much as possible. But it was not the day for, and our objective this weekend will therefore be to improve our result obtained in Qatar, and in Argentina we will try to do even better than here. We are taking it step by step, and I must say that I feel better and better. In Qatar, despite the 22 laps of the race, I had very good sensations, the best in the last two years. So we'll see what happens this weekend. Pol Espargaró was one of the fastest drivers during testing here last month, so we'll have to keep an eye on him, along with Enea, Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder. »
Could the fact of having observed three days of testing here allow you to get even closer to the leaders than in Qatar?
« I really understood in Qatar what direction my driving style should take. During testing it's always more complicated to get an idea, because you do five laps then you stop. Then you go again for five laps before stopping again. But when you take part in a race with a length of 22 laps, then you understand much better what your weak points are, especially when you follow other drivers. So we understood things a little better at Losail, but if it doesn't go very well here we can at least rely on our base of settings, which works well. »
What do you think of the enthusiastic reception from the fans here?
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Already during my first visit here in 2014 I had the feeling that Indonesian fans were different from the others. From my first contact with them it went very well, I don't know why but they immediately make you feel very comfortable. Yesterday it was very nice [the drivers paraded their machines in the streets of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital], because Indonesia is an important country for all manufacturers. I'm really looking forward to racing here in front of them.
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You just said that you learn a lot more about your needs on the bike in racing rather than in testing. Can you tell us what your areas of improvement are?
« As soon as I got on this bike for the first time, I immediately understood that its potential was very high. But if I really want to be fast, I need special sensations at the front, and that's what I'm still missing at the moment. In any case, this is what we are currently working on. For example if you take my teammate, who drives in a different way to me, he is able to be faster. I'm not saying I'm not already fast, but I really need that feeling I'm talking about to be even faster. For example, I still have difficulty understanding the moment when I risk losing the front and falling. But whatever the case, the basis we have right away can already allow us to aim for victory. I still want more though, and we're working on that. »
Aleix Espargaró said today that the intense heat expected this weekend will once again prove that you, the drivers, are true athletes. Do you think after all the years you have already spent in the discipline that you still have to justify being athletes?
« I think everyone already realizes that we play a real sport. Just look at our faces when we've just finished a race. We are completely exhausted, and today if you want to be fast and consistent during a race you have to be absolutely sharp. This is the best way to win races and be consistent in your performance. For me there is no doubt that we play a real sport and that we are real athletes.
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What do you think of the series?
MotoGP Unlimited, which has just been released on Prime Video?
« I saw the first five episodes. It’s something interesting to see because it gives you a different perspective. Many topics are covered, but typically in the second episode it is very interesting to follow Jack Miller's journey. It's interesting to see his progress between the first races where he was in difficulty, as was particularly the case in Portimão, and his two victories in Jerez and then in France. The fourth episode is more focused on me and the fifth on the separation between Maverick Viñales and Yamaha. They did a good job, and I think it's important for MotoGP to open up to a new audience which will perhaps be a little younger through this. »
Can you tell us why you are so successful on the new tracks? You were already unbeatable in Argentina or even in Thailand…
« I do not really know. However, we cannot say that we are on a completely new track, because we have already completed three days of testing here. So it's not really a new track and everyone should be fast from the start. But it's true that on other circuits I often managed to be in the game immediately, before the others caught up. I don't really know what this is due to. I just follow my instincts and do pretty well, but eventually the other drivers get closer and closer. We'll see what happens here, we have a new casing on the rear tire and a lot of things are different. So we'll see if we can have a better race than in Qatar. »
