Álex Márquez believed on Friday that the qualifying results would give him a better idea of his chances of fighting at the front against the Aprilias. After qualifying seventh, he revised his prediction, and even more so after competing in the sprint race.
After a decent start, he didn't gain any positions and had to wait for a crash ahead of him to move up to sixth. It wasn't until the fifth lap that he began to close the gap on his rivals, first overtaking his brother and then Fabio Di Giannantonio.
However, both were in great difficulty with their rear tire, a problem that also affected Álex Márquez but which he managed to handle better, especially after encountering it in the morning during FP2.
The first Ducati rider to arrive, he is not under any illusions for the main race, and believes that without crashes among the Aprilia riders, he cannot aim for better than a top 5.
“Honestly, I already had this problem this morning during my second run of FP2. I was very slow and encountered this issue. So I think it was the best practice for the race. But after all that, I think we made a small mistake by not switching to the medium tire. I think that would have been a better option for us. It’s a lesson for the future ,” he said.
“Today was a survival race, especially with the rear tire. Everyone struggled, myself included. We did our best, and in the end, it’s a great result to be the first Ducati to cross the finish line, but my fourth place would have been a fifth without Raúl. With everyone on track, fifth place will be the best result we can aim for.”
On Friday, he explained that he was still suffering from his fractured shoulder and was beginning to accept the idea that he might have to live with it . The pain was manageable during the sprint race, but could worsen tomorrow. "I don't feel very well. My shoulder still hurts. It wasn't pleasant, but I survived ," he concluded.
Results of the British Grand Prix sprint race :
Ranking credit: MotoGP.com
