After the ninth race of the season, Alberto Puig analyses what happened last Sunday in Germany and looks ahead to the return for the competition in August.
The MotoGP World Championship goes into its summer break after the 9th of the 19 races on the 2019 calendar, with Marc Márquez leading the overall standings. The Repsol Honda rider took another victory at the German GP, in what was his tenth consecutive win at Sachsenring, and he holds a 58-point advantage in the series. The Spaniard earned pole position, set the fastest lap of the race, and broke the circuit record both in the race and in practice. Stand-in teammate Stefan Bradl – replacing the injured Jorge Lorenzo – completed the contest in a positive 10th position.
What was the strategy for the Sachsenring race?
“The strategy was to try to escape gradually and open a gap of one or two tenths per lap. This way, Marc avoided too many risks in the first laps and could finally break away. I would say it was a perfect race for Marc. I think all Honda riders, more or less, made a good tyre choice. Overall, we had three RC213Vs in the top 10, with a good performance and basically all the riders were satisfied with their results.”
Positive points and negative points after race?
“Fortunately, we can not talk about negative points. We had a double podium with Marc and Cal Crutchlow. Stefan Bradl, as a test rider, did a fantastic job, confirming he is not only a test rider but also a fast rider. The Sachsenring weekend was definitely positive.”
The view from pit wall during race?
“Marc is a guarantee in this track, because he won here almost every year with our Honda. This does not mean that he can relax, but the results boost our optimism. It is clear that he really understands the points of the track where he can or cannot take risks. Of course, a race is a race and you can crash anytime in any track, but I have to admit that even during the practice sessions, Marc had a very strong pace and was working hard together with his team. A victory cannot be taken before the race, but we clearly had a good plan and a positive feeling.”
How HRC should approach the future?
“We always look to the future and continue to work towards it. Now, during the summer break, we will certainly think where we can still improve, bearing in mind the same objective for Brno, that is winning the race. This is always our target. We have to go to Brno pretending that we have 0 points of advantage. For sure, the rider and the engineers in Japan now will have time to relax a little and recharge their batteries to be ready and focused for the next race and the rest of the season. About Jorge Lorenzo, we wish that Jorge has a good and speedy recovery and can join us in Brno. The team is waiting for him. Surely, recovering from his injury is not an easy task, but we know that in his heart he is a champion and he will fight to be back in good shape and with renewed motivation.”
