Marc Marquez's prediction - and advice - for title-chasing duo in Barcelona
Marc Marquez has his say on Sunday's crucial race
After the illusion of a front-row start in qualifying, it was back down to earth for Marc Marquez in the Solidarity Barcelona MotoGP Sprint.
Struggling to feel comfortable on his final Gresini appearance, the eight-time world champion warned on Friday that a top five looked like his best-case scenario.
A tow from reigning champion and future team-mate Francesco Bagnaia put Marquez onto the front row in qualifying, a result he admitted was ‘not real’.
But contact with Pedro Acosta in the opening turns of the Sprint left Marquez in seventh, where he finished.
Even without that tangle, Marquez felt he couldn’t have done much more.
“After qualifying I was a bit more optimistic, but then in the Sprint race, with that tricky first lap, we came back to our position,” said Marquez, who ruled out any bike damage from the contact.
“We have the pace to be from 5th to 10th and we were in 7th position. Honestly speaking without that first lap, our position was 6th, not better.
“So for tomorrow we need to improve, if not the race will be super long.”
He added: “I'm fighting, not against the bike, but against the circuit.
“In May the feeling was not bad. I could feel the limit of the track, but this weekend, I start in the opposite way. Step by step I try to be more competitive, but I'm struggling.”
Marquez's woes mean he has lost third in the world championship to Enea Bastianini by five points heading into the final grand prix.
Bastianini finished second, between Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, in the Sprint.
Quizzed on Sunday’s title decider, which will see Martin need only a ninth place if Bagnaia wins, Marquez said:
“I think P9 for Jorge is easy, but racing is racing.”
And his advice?
“Pecco needs to do what he did today… And Jorge needs to do what he did today!” Marquez laughed.
