Marc Marquez (2nd) held back: “I’ve learnt from Silverstone!”

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez said at a press conference in Misano on Thursday that by releasing a photo showing his bruised right arm and shoulder, he wanted to put an end to all speculation surrounding his health. This would allow him to focus entirely on the title race.

On the first day of practice at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the nine-time world champion once again demonstrated what he is capable of. In FP1 on Friday morning, he set the fastest time, whilst in qualifying that afternoon he finished second, one tenth of a second behind Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia).

Will Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi be the fastest again this weekend – just like last year? “No. I may have finished the day in second place, but it wasn’t like at Aragon, where I was consistently in the top three throughout qualifying,” admitted the 33-year-old. “I had a few difficulties and we need to try and take a step forward. Sure, when it came to a fast lap, I was in the mix. But we saw that it was very close. Qualifying on Saturday will be very important, because if you make a small mistake, it can push you back to the second or third row on the grid – and that’s a big problem in MotoGP at the moment.”

In qualifying, seven riders were within half a second of each other and 15 within 0.8 seconds. “At Misano, everything is a bit more balanced. Aprilia is strong in the fast corners, whilst Ducati is strong in the stop-and-go corners,” emphasised Márquez. “Every bike can show its potential here. Our job is to find what works best for our riding style.”

Following his experiences, particularly at Silverstone, where Marquez overexerted himself on Friday and consequently reached his physical limits on the remaining days, he has changed his strategy. “I’ve learnt from Silverstone and am taking a different approach on Friday. I’m trying to deliver my best possible performance on Saturday and Sunday,” explained the nine-time champion. How demanding is the Misano circuit? “Very demanding. We saw it last year: because the rear tyre doesn’t really wear out, you can push right from the start right through to the end of the race. As always, I’ll be giving 100 per cent.”

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Where Bezzecchi and Aprilia are currently unbeatable

Bezzecchi seems to have the edge, particularly in the third sector with its fast corners. Can Marquez still improve there? “There’s nothing more for me to gain there,” Marquez smiled. “It’s not the place to make up time. Bez and Aprilia are very fast through those corners. Just like the ones at Assen or Silverstone. We know they’re very strong there. We have to try and be quicker in other areas.”

Would Marc Marquez be satisfied if he finished on the podium on Sunday? “Yes. I’d take the podium in a heartbeat,” he smiled.