MotoGP, Rins on Marquez: “Maybe the injury wasn’t so bad if he can race”

Impossible to deny the news of the day was the return of Marc Marquez to the circuit, 72 hours after surgery to reduce the fracture in the right humerus, he was ready to go out. This made the Spaniard one of the hottest topics at Thursday’s traditional press conference, even more than Fabio Quartararo’s Sunday win.

The French himself was the first to deal with the subject, speaks of the desire of all drivers to get back on track quickly. “It’s not just about Marc; Alex and Cal are back. Cal also had surgery two days ago so it’s pretty amazing If you are a driver you want to come back as soon as possible. Surely you will give your maximum with your pain and I am happy that you are back on the right track. I believe that everyone will concentrate on their goal, which is to give their best in every race without thinking about the others. “

More or less the same opinion, Maverick Vinales said he was focused on the championship and aware of the importance of each point. “In a championship with fewer races like this, every point is important. Fabio is currently the favorite for the title as he won the first race, but we have to see the outcome of the next races. All drivers are not happy when they see a passenger injured. In fact, I was very happy when I saw Marc arrive at the track, so there is no point in talking about a devalued championship or something like that. “

The two Ducati drivers Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller also talked about the “validity” of the championship with or without Marquez, but in other words. “This year’s championship is different, but the rules are the same – explained Dovi – besides, Marc seems to be on the track this weekend, so nothing has changed since then. ” “In my opinion, it’s a piece of cake to talk about a fake championship or something like that. – Miller added – since we all started on the same Friday and injuries come with it. “

The comment of the re-entering Alex Rins was sharp too when he too was asked about the return of his (never particularly beloved) rival. “I think the injury wasn’t that bad if he manages to get back on track a few days after the operation. Otherwise we’ll see if he can make a good race or not. You talk a lot about Marc because he won a lot and we’re here to try and beat him. “

THE NEW RULE FOR YELLOW FLAGS – VINALES: “WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE STRATEGY IN MANY VARIETIES”

Another topic of the day is the new regulation for hanging up the yellow flags. From this GP, even a single yellow flag will force any rider to slow down to avoid dangerous episodes like Miller and Rins’ double close falls. “We will have to pay attention to this new rule – explains Rins himself – because If one rider stops for any reason, even if it’s not urgent, the others won’t be able to complete the lap, but we’ll see how it plays out. “

Politically correct Andrea Dovizioso, who recognized the difficulty of making the right choice in these cases. “It’s always difficult to agree on these rules. Of course I would be sorry to miss a lap for something not particularly dangerous because of a yellow flag, so I guess” it would be better to make situational distinctions, but that is not easy “.

Someone who has thought about possible countermeasures is Maverick Vinales, who is already focused on the weekend. “Maybe I have to change my free practice for the new rule, and I’ll have to see when it’s better to launch my real-time attack. Fabio, for example, made it in FP3 of the first GP with twenty minutes to go.