Phillip Island.- Despite the fact that the runner himself puts on the brakes and avoids speculating about his possibilities, although this time he admitted that “the word podium is realistic”, the truth is that the combination of factors that surround Marc Márquez this weekend in Australia they place him on the list of favorites to fight for victory. The only problem is that the list is not exactly short.
The first premise to achieve this was, obviously, to start as far forward as possible and, to achieve this, Marc made use of Pecco Bagnaia, whom he followed as a reference in his two starts in Q2.
“Peco’s reference was crucial. With the current Honda it would have been impossible to do that lap,” explained the Honda rider.
“The pace is not bad, but it is not the best either. Yesterday we worked for the future; today, for the present, for this weekend. Yesterday I asked Honda to let me work on the set-up so I could be fast in the race “, revealed the Spanish rider, involved in several fronts, such as the recovery of the arm and the development of the 2023 motorcycle.
During Q2, Márquez made an impossible save, identical to another experienced in that same corner in 2019.
“In the save, the whole body, also the arm, reacted appropriately,” he said satisfied.
“There’s still work to do with my arm. I’m feeling better, but I’m still noticing ups and downs. After Thailand I ended up destroyed, the good thing is that I was able to have a week off and we recovered well”
In that sense, Marc doesn’t think about the style or the position on the bike right now.
“The only thing that matters is being at the front, no matter how you do it and how you drive.”
According to all the riders, tire consumption could be key and Marc’s experience could be decisive there.
“It is clear that the degradation of the rubber will be important, but most of the riders know how to do it. I am not in a position to think about conserving the rubber, I am going to try to be with those in front and if for this I have to pull tires I’ll do it and see how far we get”. “It is the race in which I am closest to the first, but I am not the fastest,” he warned before finishing assessing his physical condition in general.
“After the fourth operation I felt better immediately. It is an arm with four surgeries, but after going through the operating room I was able to train normally, without any type of limitation. The improvement is on the right track,” he concluded.
