Repsol rider devotes first free practice sessions for Catalan GP to modifying setting of Suter chassis.
Marc Márquez began his Grand Prix weekend with a day of intense work in the garage. The first two practice sessions were used by the Repsol rider to best set him up for tomorrow’s qualifying session. His best time at the Circuit de Catalunya came in the morning run: 1’47.935.
Adjustments made to the setting of his Suter chassis were begun in the morning, as Marc Márquez’ crew made the most of high air temperatures and track temperatures reaching 42ºC. The Spaniard completed 18 laps of the track, clocking his best time in his second stint and going under the 1’48 mark.
The mentality for the second session changed little: Work, work and more work in the garage. The Repsol rider performed three stints, recording his fastest lap in the first of the trio. On the remaining runs he made further modifications with qualifying in mind. Márquez was consistently riding in the 1’48s in the afternoon.
In the combined standings for the Friday sessions, the Repsol rider acheived the sixteenth best time of the day.
Marc Márquez >> Audio
FP1 – 1:47.953, 18 laps, 85 km.
FP2 – 1:48.171, 14 laps, 66 km.
“To tell the truth, I found things quite difficult today; more so in the afternoon, because in the morning I felt fairly comfortable. The most important thing is that we have drawn some positive conclusions and have a clear idea about where we can improve tomorrow, because we went backwards with the way we worked today and need to take things in another direction. I think that these practice sessions are for doing that, so we will see if we can continue preparing things for the race tomorrow, which is the most important thing.I had some distinct problems, first in the front and then with the rear, and generally didn’t feel comfortable on the bike. I don’t think that this will be an issue tomorrow, as we have been able to see what works and what doesn’t. My hand is only bothering me when I get off the bike, as I don’t feel it hurt at all when I ride”.
