Marc Marquez was the “King of COTA” from 2013 to 2018 without interruption, then he returned to the top step of the podium in 2021 and this year, riding a finally competitive bike, everyone expects him to achieve his first success with the Ducati precisely on what is its most congenial track.
However, the Gresini standard bearer kept a low profile, dampening the expectations that placed him among the great favorites of the weekend and putting it in black and white on Friday at the Grand Prix of the Americas. Despite the third position and direct Q2 achieved in the afternoon session, the eight-time world champion doesn't think he can fight for the top.
The first day of the third race weekend was a crescendo, with some difficulties in the morning session overcome in practice, but it is still not enough to be able to return to dominating at COTA: “I'm happy with the reaction, because we started the day with a good feeling not very good. I felt better in Portimao, but this afternoon we reacted well and I felt more comfortable, especially in the second run. From that point it looks like we can now start working on small details. But, as I expected, there are two or three riders who are faster and ahead of me.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“This morning I didn't feel great and I didn't push so as not to make mistakes or ride beyond the limit,” explained Marquez, going into detail about the day. “If I go to the limit, mistakes come. We come from Portimao, where I crashed four times, even though there was no question of driving over the limit. This afternoon I pushed instead, being able to fight for the top 5. Let's see if tomorrow we can take a step forward.”
After many years spent riding and dominating in Austin with the Honda, Marc Marquez is relearning the track with a completely different bike: “It's impossible to have the perfect bike that works in every point. Honda was very good in the stop and go corners, but with Ducati I have to learn to ride differently and look for the time differently. That's what I focused on this afternoon. I started to understand and from there the times got better and better.”
“Slowly the instinct to ride in the Honda style is going away and I'm arriving on the tracks already as a Ducati rider. But it's also true that FP1 is the most difficult, because you have the memory of many years of riding in one way and with one line. But as soon as you understand that by doing this you are slow, you change and adapt. So that's what I did today, plus the team helped me a lot with the bike and that's a great thing,” concluded the rider from Cervera.
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