New Moto2 World Champion finishes first day as fastest rider, despite late incident.
After winning the title less than two weeks ago, the new champion of the Moto2 category, Marc Marquez, was on top for at the first day of the Valencia Grand Prix. The Repsol rider was amongst the highest positions on the timesheets all day, whether wet as in the morning, or in the dry in the afternoon —when he set the fastest time of the day. In the final minutes of the session, Marquez battled with Simone Corsi to pass him on a corner and the Italian crashed. Due to this incident, Márquez has been penalised with a start from the back of the grid on Sunday.
Rainfall during the MotoGP session ceased before the start of the first practice for the intermediate category. On the still-wet asphalt Ricardo Tormo circuit, Marc Márquez began work on the development of his bike, gaining a good feel on the early laps of the Valencia track. The Repsol rider maintained a good pace in his two stints, claiming the fourth fastest time of the morning at 1’47.763.
In the afternoon in the dry, Márquez was back out on track to continue working with his team. In the final stretch of the session, he increased his pace and managed the best time of the day, with a 1’36.90 from his last lap. However, his performance was counteracted by an incident with Simone Corsi. At turn 10 of the Valencia track, both riders touched when Márquez tried to pass the Italian on the inside. Subsequently, Race Direction decided to sanction the Repsol rider, who will start Sunday’s race from last position on the grid.
Marc Márquez >> Audio
FP1 – 1:47.763, 16 laps, 64 km.
FP2 – 1:36.090, 21 laps, 84 km.
“The day went rather well; we felt good in the wet and in the end we were able to ride in almost dry conditions. There were some wet areas, but none which stopped you from going fast. In both conditions we had a good base setting, which is the important thing. We still need to set out a few details, so we will see how the conditions are tomorrow and Sunday. I have to congratulate the Ricardo Tormo circuit for the relaying of the asphalt. Regarding the incident with Simone Corsi, I had already overtaken other riders on that corner and I hadn’t thought about him being one of the later brakers in the class. I passed him on the inside and then felt a touch, which was totally involuntary. I immediately looked around to see how he was and, when I saw that he had crashed, I became very worried. I went to apologise to him after the session, he understood and the most important thing is that he wasn’t hurt. I publically apologise once again. Later, Race Direction decided to send me to the back of the grid on Sunday, and I can do little more than respect their decision.”
