MARQUEZ FOURTH IN QATAR

Marc Marquez took fourth in today’s Qatar Grand Prix. The Losail evening was affected by mixed weather conditions that created quite a tricky situation.

A brief, light rain shower fell just minutes before the planned MotoGP race time of 9 p.m., causing the GP start time and race distance to be changed twice. Finally, the lights went off at 9:45, following two warm-up laps that preceded a 20-lap race.

In the hectic moments preceding the race, Marc changed his front tyre on the grid, switching from a hard-front/medium-rear combination to a medium-medium spec.

After a good start, Marc fought hard for the second position for half of the race but finally had to settle for fourth.

Marc Marquez: “We were aware that we struggle a bit at this track, but as always we kept a positive attitude, as we also knew that if everything was in place, we could have fought for the podium or even the victory. I think we worked well over the weekend, and we had everything clear for today. Our plan was to use the harder front compound, but the chaotic situation with the rain and the continuous delays created many doubts. In the end we decided to go with the medium front, aiming to reduce the risk of crashing, but this turned out to be our biggest mistake of the weekend. I struggled with the front the entire time; I couldn’t brake hard and after few laps the tyre was already wearing off. We continued to have some small issues with acceleration, but even so I had a good feeling with my bike. But with that tyre choice, I wasn’t able to gain on braking. That’s my strongest point, so I decided, okay let’s finish this race and Argentina will be another race.”

MARC, READY TO START MOTOGP SEASON

Repsol Honda team rider kicks off MotoGP World Championship season this weekend at the Grand Prix of Qatar. Reigning World Champion has won in Losail International Circuit on two occasions: once in Moto2 in 2012, and again in MotoGP in 2014. Marc Márquez has been World Champion (in 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP) whenever he has placed on the podium at the first race of the season.

Marc Márquez: “The first race of the season is always a special one because you’re a bit more nervous than usual! The Qatar track is also one of the most special circuits on the calendar and one of the main things to consider is the sand, which can make the surface quite slippery as soon as you get out of the best line. The limit is very narrow.

There are three very strong braking points and you need good front stability. Maybe it’s not one of the best tracks for my riding style, but I like it and we have worked very hard during the preseason to find a good rhythm and a good base setup for all circuits.

From a technical point of view, we’re starting this Championship better than the last one, and although that doesn’t automatically mean that the results will be better, I think our machine has reached a level to fight for the podium. We’ll try to manage well from the beginning”.

MARC MÁRQUEZ CONCLUDES FINAL PRE-SEASON TEST IN QATAR

The 2017 MotoGP pre-season came to an end today with the third and final night of testing in Qatar. The timesheets saw Marc Márquez ending in 10th place (1’54.990” on lap 12 of 47).

The Cervera rider spent a productive night completing his testing plans, which included electronics, aerodynamics and refinement of general race setup, with the focus on keeping a good race pace. Marc fell once very early in the session and twice after 9 p.m. with no consequences, but he had to abort his race simulation on his sixth lap in the mid-1’55” range.

Action will resume at the same track on Thursday, 23 March, with FP1 for the Grand Prix of Qatar, the opening race of the 2017 MotoGP Championship.

Marc Márquez: “I’m happy with the pace we were able to keep today but of course it hasn’t been the best test of the pre-season for us. I crashed three times, the first at the very beginning because the bike had a wobble at turn 4 and I braked late. Then later in the night I lost the front twice, and especially the last crash during my race simulation was my fault. But when you’re doing a long run you must try and push, otherwise you can’t understand where you really are. Anyway, better if this kind of thing happens now, during a test, and hopefully when we come here again for the race we’ll be able to manage things better. As I said, our rhythm is quite good; only Maverick [Viñales] is faster than everyone here, and if we were to race tomorrow I believe we should be able to fight for the podium.”