Alberto Puig: “Marc was able to open up his advantage in the championship.”

The Italian Grand Prix was a demanding round for the Repsol Honda Team, but Marc Márquez came out of the event increasing his lead of the World Championship after finishing second. At one of the less favourable tracks for him, the Spaniard challenged for victory until the last lap and managed to finish ahead of his immediate pursuer in the overall standings, extending his advantage by four points. For Jorge Lorenzo, it was another weekend of intense work adapting to the Honda, concluding with the decision to travel to Japan this week in search of new solutions.

[Question] What was the strategy for the Mugello race?

[Answer] Marc was a bit limited and he had to make some choices. He was not as comfortable as in other circuits for many reasons; his physical condition, he could not push a lot and finally he couldn’t attack like he normally does. But finally, to get second position in front of another Ducati rider and get some points is a positive.

[Q] Positive points and negative points after race?

[A] Marc was able to open up his advantage in the championship by another four points, so it means we are progressing. This weekend he was not 100% physically fit and he made a big effort to overcome the situation. We appreciate all his efforts.

The negative is that Jorge is still struggling; he needs to find the compromise with the bike and has to keep working. He is staying focused and remaining motivated and this is important. It was also important to check the improvements we have made to our machine on a Ducati track, which is a circuit all about top speed and power.

[Q] The view from pit wall during race?

[A] It’s been a great race with many riders in the front group and we knew it would come down to the last lap. There were some strong moves.

[Q] Inside story apart from official comments?

[A] We have decided to try improving Jorge’s ergonomics problems by organising a trip to Japan. We thought it was a good idea to talk directly with the engineers and to analyse more deeply the problems he is having, trying to get a better position for him on the bike.