Brno MotoGP: Top 5 quotes after qualifying
Marc Marquez turned in yet another masterpiece today in Brno, earning a record pole position despite having to overtake Valentino Rossi during his flying lap.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
| Pos. | # | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 |  Marc Marquez |
Honda | 1'54.596 | |
| “I honestly didn’t expect to get this pole position. I saw myself fighting for second place or to be on the front row, which was our main objective. Jorge [Lorenzo] had a great lap this morning that I believed would be difficult to match, but I was able to find a good reference that helped me during the qualifying session. Pol [Espargaró] and Valentino [Rossi] were in front, and I was able to take advantage of their slipstream and overtake them in the final corner without losing time. In the end we did a very good time and I’m especially happy with how FP4 went, as we took a step forward in terms of our pace. We’ve completely changed the setup and things have gone much better. If the race is dry tomorrow it gives me hope, because I was finding things tough. If it rains then it will be more difficult, but I’m happy because we’re competitive.” | |||||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo |
Yamaha | 1'54.849 | 0.253 |
| "I probably pushed a bit too much, too hard and was late on braking so I had not enough corner speed to be fast on the second tyre. I think the second tyre performed a bit less than the first one, so ultimately I couldn’t be faster. We are happy with second place, especially because we have a good pace and a good set-up to keep up in the race." | |||||
| 3 | 29 |  Andrea Iannone |
Ducati | 1'55.227 | 0.631 |
| “It was a very difficult qualifying session because we knew that we would struggle to put in a good performance over one lap, but in the end we managed to get something better than expected. Here at Brno we are able to be more effective over race pace that over one lap. In any case we have worked really well during the weekend, because we’ve always been first or second in every session, and I am really satisfied. For sure the race will be tougher than in Austria, but I believe that tomorrow we’ll be up in the group that will be fighting for the podium.” | |||||
| 4 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro |
Suzuki | 1'55.324 | 0.728 |
| “I’m satisfied with the job we did this weekend, we improved session-by-session and I felt comfortable with the machine. The hand is getting better, I suffered pain in the morning but then in the afternoon I had absolutely no issues. I’m still taking pain killers but my feeling is that the finger gets better when it warms up. In FP4 we worked positively for the race, we tried to find some solutions for the big spin I’m suffering here in order to get prepared for the last part of tomorrow’s race. I think this is going to be the key of the race; almost all riders suffer spin, so the one who will be the best to manage it will probably be the winner. Of course the race will be hard, but fourth place is a good position and I’m really looking forward to the race. With my team I’m working really positively, they are doing an excellent job in improving session-after-session. I had some bad luck this season and I really want to close this season with Suzuki in a positive way, hopefully being in the top-six in every single race.” | |||||
| 5 | 8 | Hector Barbera |
Ducati | 1'55.437 | 0.841 |
| “I think that we have to be happy with our weekend so far. Yesterday we were fourth in both free practices and today we are fifth. We are working in the right way, showing a positive progression in the last three races. It’s always good to dream of top results, but we can’t forget that MotoGP is not an easy championship. We are fighting against many world champions, and without an equal package. One lap is not the same as a 22-lap race distance, so my position in the race should be anywhere between fifth and ninth, because this is the group where I think we have the best chance to battle. Should the rain finally arrive for the race, it would change everything and I’m quite sure that this would give me a better chance to fight with the top group of riders. The team is working really well and we are getting the maximum out of our material. We are ready for tomorrow whatever the conditions will be. My team is giving the 200% and without them, all of this wouldn’t be possible.” | |||||
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