Marquez: Espargaro crash didn’t steal “special” Portugal MotoGP Q2 lap
Marc Marquez says the crash for his Honda teammate Pol Espargaro at the end of MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying only took away a lap that was “nothing special”.
Qualifying at Portimao on Saturday was hectic as Q2 was the first session of the weekend to be run in fully dry conditions.
This meant lap times improved throughout the 15-minute session as the track evolved, with top spot changing hands constantly.
Marquez was on a lap in the dying stages of Q2 that was set to put him onto provisional pole, but had the time taken away from him for passing yellow flags at the last corner brought out by team-mate Espargaro crashing.
This ultimately dropped Marquez to ninth on the grid, but admitted the lap he was on was “nothing special” and held no ill feelings towards Espargaro.
“I’m happy for the speed we showed… it’s a bit like Austin,” Marquez said on Saturday after qualifying. “Happy for the speed we show but I was a bit unlucky.
“In the end, everyone improved in the end. Everyone was waiting for the last laps to push, because the track was coming better and better.
“But it’s true I was coming in a good lap… a solid lap, nothing special.
“But I knew in that condition normally I’m fast, so I said ‘Ok, I will do a solid lap but nothing special’. But when I arrived in the last corner I saw the yellow flag.
“I slowed down a bit but wanted to finish the lap to understand where I am.
“We start ninth, it’s not bad. It’s true it will be better starting in the second row, third row. But it’s like this.”
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marquez’s day began with a crash in the wet FP3 session, with the Honda rider landing on his head having been thrown over the highside.
Given his recent vision problems as a result of concussions, Marquez’s crash was some cause for concern.
But while he is aware the risk of vision problems returning should he have a big enough incident, Marquez says the one he had in FP3 was “normal”.
“I mean, of course when I decided to come in Austin this was one of the questions to my doctor,” he said when asked if crashing onto his head again and walking away unscathed was a relief.
“I said ‘if I land on my head again, what’s going to happen?’ He said it doesn’t mean that every time you land on your head and have an impact, the same [problems] will appear.
“You have a risk in Austin, in the next race, in the next year. It’s true, the Indonesia crash was a massive one.
“Here I crashed, I landed on my head and nothing happened. It’s true I have pain in my neck, but it was a normal crash. Nothing more.”
With Sunday’s race set to be dry, the 20-minute warm-up session will be the only track time riders will have to prepare a set-up for the grand prix.
Marquez says he will have to be lucky with tyre choice and set-up if he is to have a good race from ninth.
“Tomorrow will be an important warm-up,” he said. “We need to have a bit of luck in terms of tyre choice, in terms of base set-up because if you don’t have a base set-up in the warm-up you don’t have options to try in the race.
“You don’t have the time to try anything. So, if all these two things are in the correct way, we will try to do our 100% in the race.”
Miller in talks with LCR Honda over return for MotoGP 2023
Mir "feels stronger than ever" after best ever MotoGP qualifying
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.
How the 2022 Argentina MotoGP was saved – and the questions it raises
The factors which risked the cancellation of MotoGP’s Argentina Grand Prix were consequences of the current world crisis, with pragmatism the key to the solutions that saved the race weekend. But wider lessons can be taken from the situation for the MotoGP calendar, while it also offers other intriguing questions.
The signs KTM has turned around its MotoGP bike in 2022
KTM has made its strongest start to a MotoGP season ever with two podiums – including a stunning win for Miguel Oliveira last weekend in Indonesia – in the first two rounds of 2022. It is a bike that remains difficult to understand but there are several notable signs which suggests KTM’s form looks genuine.