Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig praises the high level shown by Marc Márquez in Aragón from Friday to the race itself
Marc Márquez was the main protagonist of the Aragón Grand Prix, leading the way on Friday, earning pole position on Saturday and claiming the victory on Sunday. Alberto Puig highlights the Repsol Honda Team rider’s understanding of his bike as a main factor, as the machine proved to be a cut above at MotorLand -as happened at tracks like Austin and Sachsenring. On the other side of the box, work with Jorge Lorenzo continued, on a weekend that was more difficult than expected.
What was the strategy for the Aragón race?
“The strategy was to try to be fast and maintain an advantage at the front without any crazy riding. In practice we had seen from Marquez’s pace and the pace of others that he could be able to create a gap and steadily grow his advantage. From Friday, Marc was fast and the bike very competitive. Marc didn’t stop here and we were able to maintain concentration and stay focused on his riding all weekend. It was a very satisfying win to take, especially for Marc at a track close to his home like Aragon.”
Positive points and negative points after the race?
“The positive clearly is the victory, and in the way it was achieved. It was a controlled win for Marc and Honda, to win a race after a weekend like we have had is quite impressive so we are very happy with this. The negative is that Jorge is not having an easy time with our bike, we are trying to help him as much as we can. We know he is strong but unfortunately it has not been going as expected in these races. We need to find a different solution for the following Grand Prix.”
What was the view from the pit wall during the race?
“Frankly speaking it was a relaxing race, there was zero fighting. In one way it is relaxing, but in another way it is not the most exciting for the spectators. At the end of the day we earned another 25 points, a satisfactory ending to a good weekend.”
Inside story apart from official comments?
“It seems like Aragón is becoming a circuit similar to Austin or Sachsenring for Marc. He is stronger than the other riders and the combination of Marquez and the Honda works perfectly. Now we are going to Thailand where we will have the first opportunity to take the 2019 title.”
