MotoGP Portugal, Marquez on his return: “I don’t know how I’ll wake up tomorrow”

MotoGP Portugal, Marquez on his return: “I don’t know how I’ll wake up tomorrow”

The Honda rider was surprised to be able to set the sixth fastest time but he still worries about tomorrow and the rest of the weekend: “I’ve stressed my arm and the muscle a great deal and don’t know what to expect”

17.04.2021 20:48

Marc Marquez’s first day on track after a 255-day absence has been an impressive one. He closed FP1 in third place and FP2 in sixth. A result that exceeded the Spaniard’s expectations (at least for now), so much so that he told journalists: “I looked at the times and asked myself: ‘but what am I doing here’?”

The Honda rider hasn’t lost his smile, in fact it was firmly back on his face as he spoke about his first day.

“This morning I was well rested, less so now”


“It was a great day and I immediately had good feeling with the bike – he commented – this morning the asphalt wasn’t the best, but I quickly felt good on the bike. I have to say that this morning I felt better compared to the afternoon because I was fresh. In the sense that my arm was rested and I felt like I had more energy. In the afternoon, I could feel that my arm was more tired. But anyway I can say that I’ve done better than I could have imagined prior to the weekend. I mean, I don’t know how or why, but I felt good on the bike. Although I struggled more in the second session, I could still set a good time. It wasn’t the most important thing but it came in the best possible way”.

“Today went well, but tomorrow?”


So Marc’s day apparently exceeded his expectations. The Spaniard is well inside the top ten and, if it were to rain tomorrow, he’s already secured a place in Q2. But Marquez is worried about one aspect in particular: “We need to understand how my arm will react over the weekend. How will it be tomorrow morning? I’ve stressed my arm and muscle a great deal and don’t know what to expect tomorrow. Will it be able to perform? Will I have less energy? Maybe I’ll have to change my riding style a bit. It’s something we need to be careful about and so we’ll need to see tomorrow. The question is: how will Marquez wake up tomorrow?”

“My target? I don’t know what it is”


Having said that, Marquez didn’t exactly hold back today, even taking a big risk on his final fast lap: “The last lap was crazy - he added - I didn’t like it, but it’s my riding style”.

But after this kind of first day, has his goal for the weekend changed? “I don’t know what my target is. Because I don’t know how I’ll be able to ride the bike over the coming days. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like I’m learning to ride the bike again, how to be focused, but I still can’t find the limit, or the set-up. Right now I’m using Stefan Bradl’s bike and from tomorrow we’ll try to change something, but I don’t know what my goal can be. This morning I felt good, this afternoon less so, so finishing sixth was a surprise. On the last lap I made several mistakes but was fast anyway. So the speed is there, but we need to see what my physical condition will be like.”

Translated by Heather Watson

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