Maintaining Good Feeling at a Challenging Circuit in Qatar
After his crash in Austin, Marc Márquez says the most important thing has been to keep the same mentality. While he expected a defensive ride would be necessary in Qatar—one of his historically weaker circuits—he currently feels good and believes he is performing at a similar level to riders like Alex Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia. Reflecting on his sprint race victory, he sees his pace in Qatar as a positive sign and plans to stay calm and take a measured approach to bike setup. Without dwelling on the points lost in Austin, he’s aiming to carry this good feeling into Sunday’s main race.
Marc Márquez:
“The most important thing after the crash in Austin was to keep the same mentality. I expected that I’d need to be more defensive on this track compared to others. But right now, I’m feeling good and I think I’m on a similar level here to Alex and Pecco. Pecco made some mistakes in qualifying and practice, but overall, he’s been fast throughout the weekend.”
“Saturdays are always emotionally demanding, no matter what. But Sunday is the most important day. Alex and I know each other very well—we know where each of us tends to struggle. Tomorrow’s race will be long, but I feel good going into it.”
“Alex has more speed in the right-hand corners, but this year I’ve been working harder than ever to improve my riding style, so I’m not struggling as much as I usually would. I want to approach tomorrow the same way—riding consistently. I know the points where I tend to struggle, but I plan to address those areas with the team when it comes to bike setup.”
“I feel calm heading into the race, but it’s possible we might lose points tomorrow. As I’ve said before, this is a track where I’ve had difficulties. If I can be fast here, it’s a good sign. Of course, having an advantage in the championship is great, but I lost the lead in Austin. Still, there’s no point dwelling on that. Both my rivals and I understand that Qatar is a tough circuit, so I’m happy to see we’ve made improvements here. I’m feeling calm and focused.”
(Photo courtesy of Michelin)