It’s a Marc Marquez with the tense smile which took stock of his second day of testing in Qatar. Because unlike a Red who made a leap forward in the ranking, the reigning World Champion remained in the second part of the top 10 aboard a Honda which is still looking for itself. Sixth after 50 laps in 1'55.196, it's still better than his 1'55.900 the day before, but just barely. Which, for a Márquez, is insufficient.
Especially since, at the same time, he was once again robbed of the leadership role at Honda by Cal Crutchlow while his teammate Pedrosa vegetates in a worrying sixteenth position with a 1'55.875. “ We will continue to work on the electronics but I am quite satisfied. Certainly not as if I were fighting for the best time, but we are working well. Our level is not so bad, however, we must do better ».
And it won’t be easy because the work plan is loaded: “ I don't know if I will do a long series of laps tomorrow, it will depend on what we have done during the session. Today it was Viñales who was the strongest, but I still have to sort out some things and we still have one day left ". A remark which shows a hint of annoyance at not yet being able to give a reply to the man who promises to be his great rival this season.
Moreover, for the Qatar Grand Prix, Márquez is starting to make up his mind: “ where am I located at the moment? It will depend on the circuits. Here, a podium would be like a victory. Because it's a track that gives pride of place to acceleration and this has been our weak point since 2016. There are few slow turns, which are our strong point ».
And then there is this feeling of stagnation… “ I was better in Jerez » he admits on GP One. " During the last hour, we had a good pace. Our concern is adherence to the go-around. But hey, on all circuits, we will be able to compete for the podium. However, the objective remains to win from the start of the season. Our base isn't too bad. We tested things today which did not prove to be decisive. But we also have things to see tomorrow and we hope that they will allow us to progress ».
An analysis which reveals a Márquez whose patience is tested…
Chronos J2:
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:54,455
2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:54,732
3. Jonas Folger, Yamaha, 1:54,917
4. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1:55,032
5. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1:55,121
6. Marc Marquez, Honda, 1:55,196
7. Alvaro Bautista, Ducati, 1:55,245
8. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 1:55,344
9. Scott Redding, Ducati, 1:55,353
10. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, 1:55,354
11. Karel Abraham, Ducati, 1:55,420
12. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, 1:55,545
13. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, 1:55,583
14. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, 1:56,680
15. Loris Baz, Ducati, 1:55,808
16. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 1:55,875
17. Alex Rins, Suzuki, 1:56,110
18. Tito Rabat, Honda, 1:56,214
19. Jack Miller, Honda, 1:56,251
20. Sam Lowes, Aprilia, 1:57,276
21. Pol Espargaro, KTM, 1:57,648
22. Bradley Smith, KTM, 1:57,267
23. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:57,688
