I’m especially happy with my race pace, because step-by-step, we’ve been able to improve over the weekend.
Marc Márquez was fourth in FP3 and first in FP4 with a time of 1:56.149, half a second faster than his nearest rival in second place.
In Q2, the reigning MotoGP World Champion finished third on the timesheets, securing a spot on the front row.
Dani Pedrosa was sixth in both free practice sessions on Saturday, and tenth in the qualifying session for a fourth row start.
Marc Márquez
We had realized this morning that with the setup we chose, we’re missing a little bit in a single lap with the new tyre, but I feel more comfortable when the tyres start to drop. Anyway, a front-row start is a very positive result at this track. So far we’re having a solid weekend, and I decided to not try a final time attack at the end of qualifying, as it would’ve been a bit too risky. I’m especially happy with my race pace, because step-by-step, we’ve been able to improve over the weekend. Dovi and Lorenzo have a great pace too, actually the best, but we’re close enough, so it will be interesting to see where we can finish tomorrow. I think Valentino will also be there, so it will be a nice race. It will also be a very long one, so it will be very important to be focused and consistent, and of course tyre choice and management will be very important. It will be tough to make the podium, but we’ll try and go for it.
Dani Pedrosa
Today we were able to have two positive free sessions and to work well enough on our race setup, but qualifying was difficult. It’s a shame because 10th is not what we were hoping for. I tried to improve with the soft tyre, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to take a bigger step forward than I did. It’s not the best situation for tomorrow, but I hope I’ll be able to get a good start and especially to be fast in the first couple of laps, as it will crucial to move up.