Second in both the practices: the result is positive but Marc Marquez perhaps expected, or would have wanted more from this Friday at Silverstone. The British track isn’t particularly friendly to the Spaniard, who has won here only once. Pipped to the post by Quartararo today, his future rival, Marc is nevertheless pleased with the result, considering he was able to put race favorite Maverick Vinales behind him.
“I worked well to date and that’s good because I’ve always suffered here in the past. I know the Yamaha riders are quick but I feel I’m on the right path for a great weekend. Today’s times are positive, though I think Quartararo and particularly Vinales have more in terms of pace“.
The weekend’s only just begun but there are many hot topics. From the new asphalt to Honda’s technical modifications to the tire situation. He starts with the asphalt:
“We should congratulate the organizers because last year we spoke harshly about the asphalt here but today we can confirm that they’ve done an incredible job. Right from this morning, the bike felt really good. There are potholes but nothing out of the ordinary , not like last year when it was more like an MX track. The tires work well here now and there’s no graining. I used the hard tire for my best lap and it was also a nice surprise to be quick with the extra hard, as I’d only put that in to see how it worked, only to find I improved lap after lap. It could be a solution for the race”.
“I’ll race with the old frame: there are too many unknowns here at Silverstone”
As for the technical side of things, you’re not using the frame with new swingarm, how come?
“There are too many unknowns here, too many things to think about. I’ve never gone great here, I didn’t know what to expect from the new asphalt and wanted to calmly test all four compounds brought by Michelin. So I decided “To stick with the old frame. It made no sense to be thinking about that too, considering we’re testing at Misano next weekend. Here I want to focus on the race weekend alone, because I generally suffer here, though today was positive.” “
Marquez also suffered a crash today, his first since FP4 at Le Mans, more than 3 months ago!
“I probably braked a little early, I touched the white line and lost the front, but I hadn’t crashed for three months which was too long perhaps. I’m pushing hard so crashes are part of the game”.
“I hope Crutchlow continues with Honda, he’s a great rider”
“Following the rumors about Jorge Lorenzo over the summer, Honda may have another market situation on its hands, Cal Crutchlow having recently told BT Sport that 2020 might be his last season in MotoGP. Cal has been a Honda man for many years and has contributed significantly to the development of the bike, so for the Japanese manufacturer to lose him would come as a blow.
“Cal is a great rider – said Marquez – he’s doing a great job for Honda and really rides the bike well, and we know it’s not an easy machine. To race you need to be motivated and believe in what you do. The same goes when they asked me about Zarco or Lorenzo in recent weeks – you have to believe in yourself and be 100% focused on what you’re doing to ride a bike at 350km/h . I think he’s still 100% focused. other I hope, for the good of the championship, that he continues to race in this category”.
Audio recorded by Matteo Aglio