The post-qualifying conference for the Italian Grand Prix brought together Marc Márquez, Fabio Quartararo, Danilo Petrucci, Marcel Schrötter and Tony Arbolino.
As usual, we report here the raw words of Marc Marquez, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.
This is your 4th pole position of the season. You seemed to qualify 4th and you benefited from your position behind Andrea Dovizioso. Would you have had pole without it?
Marc Márquez : " I don't know. Of course, I don't know, but the speed was there because we found something in FP4. The pace was there and it was something I had been lacking all weekend but we made a big change in FP4 and found a way to drive. And yes, during qualifying, I had the speed but I saw immediately that Pirro was following me all the time. It's as if Ducati ordered it from Pirro. So I said to myself “OK, with the 2nd tire it will be different, I will follow them”. So I applied this kind of strategy and it worked well because during the first lap I was attacking and I was quite alone, then Petrucci slowed down and Dovi slowed down. I overtook them and even so my time was good. Then with the 2nd tire, it was time to change strategy because Pirro was waiting for me and that meant that Dovi was also with us. The time was then perfect because I calculated the distance correctly. I had a very good time but in the end the important thing is the race tomorrow.”
And how are you feeling with your cold? Did you pass it to Danilo?
" Yes ! (Laughs). Now I have to turn to the right side (towards Fabio Quartararo) (Laughs). No, I feel much better. Thursday I felt destroyed, and yesterday it was also difficult, but today I feel better and it looks like it will be even better tomorrow. It is important. Regarding the race, it will be a difficult and long race. Quartararo in particular, and the Yamaha riders, have very good pace, the Ducati riders have good pace, but we are very close. We will see. It seems that we are suffering a little more than on the other circuits but the main opponents in the championship are also not very good, and so it is time to take points, it is time to breathe and it is time to think about the championship”.
You said that your more powerful engine helped you have a new way of riding and learning less risk when braking. Here at Mugello, where does this help you?
“At Mugello, overall, the route highlights all our weak points. This is where we struggle the most, but even while we struggle, we are there. So this is the most important, and not only because of our bike, but also my riding style, because Mugello is my worst circuit. I tried to play and find the best way to drive, and we are driving with completely different settings than at Le Mans and in a completely different way. The speed was there but I wasn't comfortable. It took a while but we found something in FP4. Now the speed is there and I feel comfortable. We know there are a few riders faster than us but we can be there. And that is the most important thing.”
You say that Ducati ordered certain riders to follow you. Why do you think that ?
“That was my feeling. I got out and went to the front like always, and Pirro was there. I slowed down, Pirro was there. I left, Pirro left. Then, with my first tire, I made my turn and Pirro was behind me. I then stopped at the box and told Santi that we were going to change strategy. I was going to follow them. And that's what I did ! I waited because Pirro was waiting, and since he was waiting a lot, I told myself that we would now wait for Dovi. You see, you change the game and you play your cards: I saw that Dovi was 12th and I said to myself “OK, now we are going to follow Dovi because he needs to attack to improve his time”. We played our cards and the strategy was the right one. But this strategy was created by them, not by me.”
Which poor performance surprised you the most: P13 for Rins, 9th for Dovizioso or 18th for Valentino?
“For me, the biggest surprise at the moment is Dovi because normally he is very fast here. But he will be there tomorrow during the race, and I believe he can be on the podium without much difficulty.”
The tires wear out quite quickly here, after 6 or 7 laps. How does this affect your strategy? Are you going to attack at the start of the race or preserve your tires?
“It depends on the tires and the bike. For example, for me, it is impossible to use the tender. You can be very fast on one lap but here the race distance is very long and it will be warmer tomorrow. So yes, with the tensioner at the rear you can be very fast but in my case it's impossible. So I'm studying the medium and the hard for the rear. I've tried the medium, I've tried the hard, and the choice will be there. At the front, it will be the hardest because it is the only option I can use, and the best for the race.”
You seemed very aggressive in FP4. Were you angry or calm? Is this a good sign or a bad sign?
“I don’t know (laughs). I don't know but overall, in FP4, I controlled myself. I was driving at a very good pace, in an average 47 “easily”. And there were these movements in the last lap I cut too much in the last corner while there was Morbidelli in front. So I caught the slipstream a little bit, and with this bike, when you catch the slipstream, sometimes there's these jerks that you don't expect. But apart from that, yesterday I had bad control and I didn't feel the bike, but today I started to have better sensations.
Q2 classification Italian Grand Prix MotoGP:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
