Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA

Alex Marquez: Slick laps on wet track "key" to recovery

Alex Marquez says the “key” to his recovery from 19th to sixth in the MotoGP French Grand Prix was his 'risky' early laps on slicks when rain started to fall.

Alex Marquez, Team LCR Honda

Alex Marquez, Team LCR Honda

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The LCR Honda rider was one of the big beneficiaries of the flag-to-flag conditions in last Sunday's Le Mans race, having been able to leap up to sixth during the pitstop phase at the end of lap five.

Marquez started that lap 11th having come from 19th on the grid and says the risks he took to make up ground on slicks when rain started to fall was the main reason for his best result of the season.

"[It was] a good day for us, especially with these changeable conditions that we had during the race," the younger Marquez brother said.

"So, I was there, really trying to be really smooth in the beginning.

"But the key point of the race I think was when it started raining and still we were with the dry tyres.

"In that lap I took a lot of risks and made up a couple of positions.

"So, that was the key of the race. Then it's true that I went out with medium front and soft rear and it was the right decision for those conditions.

"But, unfortunately, in the end it was too dry on the track [for the soft rear]. It's true that eight from the end there was the possibility to go in and get slicks.

"If it was maybe 12 to the end it was possible, but eight to the end it was a bit too difficult at that time."

Read Also:

Marquez hopes this result will act as a springboard to better form as the season progresses having endured a tough start to 2021.

However, he feels he still needs to improve front-end confidence on the 2021 Honda to make any real step forward in dry conditions.

"I think in dry we need to make a lot of work and I need to work a lot on my riding style," he added.

"This year with our package, I don't know why, I'm not feeling really, really good on the entry into the corners and last year I was feeling really good in that moment.

"So, in Mugello we will try to understand why more, and maybe there is the beginning of that feeling coming better.

"So, we hope from FP1 to be a little bit more competitive."

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation

Related video

Previous article Why the most significant Le Mans MotoGP performance wasn't Miller's
Next article Bagnaia 'lucky' French MotoGP was wet after bike issue

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA