Alex Marquez won the Sprint race at Silverstone yesterday, scoring his first victory in the MotoGP category.
By Fanny Villaécija / Motosan.es
Alex Marquez yesterday won his first victory in MotoGP. The Gresini Racing driver won the Sprint race ahead Marco Bezzecchi et Maverick Vinales, who joined him on the podium. Márquez started from third place on the starting grid and, although he lost a few positions after the lights went out, he was able to recover and reach the lead of the race. Here are his impressions after the race, reported by our collaborator Manuel Pecino from Silverstone.
The rider doesn't pay attention to those who claim he's in MotoGP because of his brother...
« In the end it doesn't matter much to me, I think I've done a lot more than a lot of drivers who are in the World Championship. I try to enjoy everyday life. It's true, because ultimately being the brother of who I am, I'm more in the spotlight. And the criticism comes a lot more or people ask you for more. But for the rest, I try to work, I try to go unnoticed because that's what I like, and to surprise like we did today. »
To whom does he dedicate this victory?
« To the team, to my friends on Twitter and from now on... to the team and everyone around me, especially last year when I suffered a lot. And my family, my brother, everyone. »
He felt good to fight for the victory…
« You never know before the start of a race how you are going to feel. But when I went to the starting grid, I felt very good. I started off a little sleepy and was overtaken by a few drivers. But I saw that I had grip and I said to myself “Well, try to open a gap and keep it”. And that's what I did, until the last lap when I made a mistake and Marco [Bezzecchi] got closer. But until that moment, everything was under control. »
This victory is the realization of Álex Márquez…
" For Due to many factors, many of which were not our fault, I was not able to fit into this group. I'm trying to be there, I think the speed is there. But starting the second part like this and doing the work we did, being able to be rewarded with this sprint victory, it's something that gives us wings. »
Starting to win is a good place to start, but it's still realistic...
« Starting the second part like this helps to exist, but we have to be realistic. Tomorrow the race will take place in the dry, we have the pace to be among the top five, but the podium will be difficult to achieve. We have to be consistent and keep building. Ultimately, it's the first year with this bike and there are some circuits that are complicated. »
He admits to having been nervous...
« The laps weren't passing, I could see that the tire was getting damaged. They didn't catch me either, but I tried not to make any mistakes. In the moments when it was a little critical, you have to try to keep a little bit up your sleeve and try to go to the end, that was the goal. But yes, I was nervous, because otherwise I wouldn't have made this mistake on the last lap. »
The feeling of being at the front of a race again?
« It's nice, but it was strange. It's strange to be here. This was the moment I felt the most nervous, or strange, in the race, when there was no one in front of me. This is a situation that also needs to be managed. This happened to me in Moto3, the first time I led a race. I held three turns, because I was excited. Today was a bit of the same thing. After so many years, taking back the lead and imposing your own rhythm is something that you have to manage. »
The mistakes he made in the past while leading a MotoGP race did not occur to him…
« No, I was very calm and didn't make any mistakes. I felt very good. When you're a little tight, you can make a mistake. Today it has come very naturally to me and it makes things much easier to control. But dealing with such a short gap, like 1,0 or 0,9, is something you have to be aware of, where you have to control, where you have to push to keep the distance, and not make mistakes. »
Álex won the day his brother Marc finished 19th in the race…
« I know what situation he is in. It's a bike that suffers a lot when the track dries and it's half-wet, half-dry. I was there last year and I don't think they changed the bike much, so it was to be expected. »
Read the original article on Motosan.es
British Grand Prix Sprint Results at Silverstone:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
