Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda Team Manager, analyses the Thai GP, where Marc Márquez won and Dani Pedrosa showed a strong pace.
The Thai GP at the Chang International Circuit saw a seventh win of the season for Marc Márquez, who now has a first chance at the title in the upcoming Japanese GP. Alberto Puig, Team Manager for Repsol Honda, explains the keys to the victory for the World Championship leader and talks about Dani Pedrosa’s performance in the race.
What was the strategy for the Thai race?
“To try and keep the tyres in good condition, because for everyone the aim was to be as fast as possible at the end of the race. I think the race wasn’t so fast. In practice it was low 1m 31s, in the race they were doing 32s. But everybody at the front was doing this kind of pace, including Marc. At the end of the race Dovizioso and Marc were able to find a little more than the others.”
Positive points and negative points after the race?
“The positive was Marc’s fantastic victory and also watching how Dani evolved during the race. He was coming from behind with a very good pace, so his crash was a real pity.”
The view from pit wall during race?
“It was a complicate race in a group, because when the race isn’t so fast there are usually a lot of riders in the lead group. This can make the race more risky.”
Inside story apart from official comments?
“It was the first MotoGP race in Thailand, so Honda prepared many activities with fans and also invited their five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan. On the other side, Marc kept in his garage the replica tuk-tuk he used during the pre-event in Bangkok on Wednesday!”
