Marc Marquez picks four riders he considers threats in Argentina MotoGP
Ducati rider Marquez led both practices on Friday, but has his eye behind him
Marc Marquez has singled out four riders he believes could be his biggest threat in the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix following Friday’s practice sessions.
The championship leader picked up where he left off in Thailand when he topped the opening practice of the Argentina weekend.
In the afternoon session, Marquez guided his factory Ducati to a new lap record of 1m37.295s to lead the field by 0.135s.
Fast on the long run pace as well as in time attack, Marquez again heads into the weekend’s racing favourite for victory.
But there are four names he considers threats to his charge.
“Alex [Marquez] one more time is super strong here; he will be there,” he told the official MotoGP website.
“[Fabio] Di Giannantonio also did a very good lap, on the pace he is a bit further but I think he will be close.
“Pecco [Bagnaia], he crashed but he’s fast, and then [Marco] Bezzecchi.
“Bezzecchi we know won here in 2023, and Aprilia is also working good here in the past. So, I expect a strong Bezzecchi.”
Lack of Ducati knowledge in Argentina gave Marc Marquez FP1 headache
With Argentina falling off the calendar last year, Marquez is making his first visit to Termas de Rio Hondo since 2019.
As such, he has no prior knowledge of the track on Ducati machinery and admitted this tripped him up in FP1 despite still topping the session.
“Yeah, of course it’s good to start in a good way the weekend,” he added.
“FP1 I was struggling a bit, but then FP2 I was much better.
“But, there was a reason: it was my first ride here with the Ducati, and we didn’t have a base set-up on the electronics, especially on the engine brake, where I’m a little bit special in that area.
“And my electronics worked in a very good way from FP1 to FP2, we did a very good step, especially to be more constant.
“Tomorrow will be crucial to adapt to the track conditions, because they are improving every run and this will be important to understand for the riding style and the set-up.”
Asked if he was happier with his new lap record or his long run pace after second practice, Marquez said: “The pace. The pace was good, with medium tyre and soft also I feel ok.
“Time attack is always special. It will be very important tomorrow to start on that front row.
“This will be the main target, but on the pace is where I feel more comfortable.”
