Marquez nearly repeats iconic save but admits “I don’t have a lot of confidence”
Four years ago at the Australian MotoGP, Marquez rescued his Honda from more than a 70 degree angle.
This time around, at the same part of the track, he fell to underline a miserable Friday practice which he ended 16th-fastest.
“I had two moments today in Turn 10. The second one? I stopped the bike,” Marquez reacted.
“I was very close to a save like 2019. But we couldn’t.
“It was a good day, not bad.
“It was what I expected. The moment in Turn 10 didn’t help. We were riding not well.”
Weather concerns means the full-length grand prix will now on Saturday, and the sprint on Sunday.
“Yes, we always agree and follow what Race Direction and the championship want to do,” Marquez said.
The eight-time world champion will swap Honda for Gresini Ducati in 2024.
His final rounds with Honda, after an 11-year relationship, are threatening to peter out quietly.
"I didn’t have confidence and that early crash in FP1 didn’t help," he was quoted by Motorsport.
"Basically, I don’t have a lot of confidence, and there are faster corners.
“So on the fastest corners I am not pushing, I’m just cruising.
“I’m just pushing in the slow corners and it’s there where I am crashing, but that’s very safe.
"It’s just the fast corners, I don’t feel [good] at the moment."
Alex Rins was 12th on Friday, the fastest Honda, a spot usually reserved for Marquez.
"He is riding in a very different way,” Marquez said about Rins.
“But in a good way with this Honda. But the level is quite close.
"I will compare just to understand, but the lap time is just one tenth [faster]. I followed someone, he followed someone else, so it’s not the way to do the lap time. On the race pace, we are similar."
