Alex Marquez didn't expect to find himself in second place during the Aragon MotoGP race. It all started with Marc Marquez's bold move at Turn 1 on polesitter Marco Bezzecchi. Alex, right behind, seized the opportunity to also overtake the Aprilia rider on the exit.
That unexpected second place was then defended by Alex despite Bezzecchi's soft rear tyre pressure in the early laps. However, any hope of challenging Marc Marquez for victory faded when Alex began struggling with rising front tyre pressure.
"I was not expecting to be in the middle of that fight because I believed that Marco was faster than me today, like Marc," Alex said. "But I was lucky in the first corner to attack Marco and put myself in second. Then I closed the door for three laps because I knew with the soft rear in that moment he had a big advantage. I just tried to close the door and from that moment I started my race."
When Alex got close to Marc, problems emerged. "When I was really close to Marc, the front tyre pressure and temperature got a bit high and I started to close the front. So I decided to control that gap with Marc and try to be on the pace more safely. Because even when I was really close I was not able to overtake, because he was faster than me, and it also created many problems," he explained.
Despite that, Alex finished just 1.1 seconds behind Marc and 0.9 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi. A solid result, but one area stood out: his performance in Sector 3, his biggest weakness at Aragon. Following Marc gave him a chance to learn the best way through that section.
"Thanks for reminding me - I was the last in Sector 3 in Qualifying 2!" Alex smiled. "Yeah, I'm losing a lot. In that [sector], the race for me was like a practice, just trying to follow the line of Marc in Turns 12-13, and trying to be a little bit more precise. But still I miss some confidence on the front to brake later into 12. So that point is where I lose. But it's not just the brake point, it's how to make from 12 to the 13."
Alex has homework before the main race. "Tomorrow I have some homework in the warm-up to try to be a little bit better, more precise - and faster, of course," he added. His Gresini teammate, Fermin Aldeguer, finished sixth on his return from injury.
Read Also
Marco Bezzecchi yakin pilihan ban soft bukan penyebab kekalahannya di Sprint Aragon. Hasil ini membuatnya tertinggal 29 poin dari puncak klasemen MotoGP.
Marc Marquez mengungkap manuver berisiko di sprint Aragon adalah satu-satunya peluang menang. Strategi ban medium jadi kunci kemenangan ke-20 di sprint.
Jorge Martin menganggap P5 di Sprint Aragon sebagai hasil yang baik mengingat kesulitannya. Gap klasemen tetap aman: +29 atas Bezzecchi, +33 atas Marquez.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!