«Las expectativas suben carrera a carrera»
Álex Márquez: «Me gusta que Marc tenga el foco y la presión de ganar»
El Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Márquez (Ducati) acknowledged that the «expectations rise race by race» about his chances of becoming world champion again after a stellar start to the season with two wins, while his brother Álex, his main rival so far, accepted the role of favorite and the pressure for the leader and expert at the COTA in Austin.
«We started in the best possible way, it’s true, the most important thing is that in each session I feel the bike, I feel the limits, I feel comfortable, very good with the team. It’s improving in each session. We have to stay focused because, for example, in my best MotoGP season in 2019, the only circuit where I made a mistake was this one,» he said at the official press conference.
The new Ducati rider explained his way of lowering the excitement before visiting a track in the United States where he has seven wins. «Expectations rise race by race. The results don’t help calm the expectations, but it’s better to have high expectations than doubts. I’ve talked about 2019, I always try to think negatively to avoid the problems that may arise from overconfidence,» he pointed out on Thursday.
«A motorcyclist tries to find smooth lines, we train in motocross because every lap is different, and you have to adapt to the conditions. It seems that there will be wet, mixed conditions, and thanks to the experience on the bike, you can change direction more. Many people say that motocross is dangerous, but you’ll never improve your skills on the couch. I was born there and then I went out on the track,» he added.
The rider from Cervera, winner and dominator in Thailand and Argentina, was also asked about comparisons with Lewis Hamilton. «The common element is that he changed factories, a red car, and achieved a good result. It’s a pleasure to be compared to Lewis, he’s a great driver and a great athlete,» he said.
Finally, Marc celebrated the gradual return of Jorge Martín, the reigning world champion who will also not be able to race in the Americas due to his preseason crash but will already be in the ‘box’. «It’s good for him and for Aprilia, we need the number one on the track, and the Championship with more factories is better,» he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Álex Márquez, who is second in the World Championship and has been chasing his brother in the two races, also wanted to keep his feet on the ground. «It’s true that we arrived in a great form for the two races. There are many races that used to be difficult for us, and this year we’ve been able to go fast. I feel more and more comfortable with the bike, since Montmeló, I’ve been feeling the control of the bike,» he stated.
«COTA is not one of my favorite circuits, but I had quite bad luck in the past. Expectations have to be like any other race, we start from zero and we’ll see where we end up. There are many riders who will be fast, we know that Marc has an extra advantage here, but we have to focus on ourselves. I like that the spotlight is on Marc, that he has the pressure to win, and we have his data. We have to analyze everything, I already know which corners he will be very fast in,» he concluded.