Repsol Honda rider comes into the last round of the season with a 21-point advantage. Pedrosa returns to a track at which he has six wins and five podiums.
Marc Márquez will seal the 2017 MotoGP World Championship if he finishes in the top eleven – and takes at least five points – or if Andrea Dovizioso does not win the race.
This season, whenever the reigning World Champion has crossed the finish line, he has done so in the Top 6. At Valencia, Márquez has not been off the podium since coming up to MotoGP.
The Repsol Honda rider has won two of his five titles at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit: The 125cc title in 2010 and his first in MotoGP in 2013.
Dani Pedrosa has achieved three victories at Valencia in MotoGP -2007, 2009 and 2012- and four further podiums in the premier class, in addition to two victories in 250cc -2004 and 2005- and one in 125cc, in 2002. It was also the scene of the first podium of his World Championship career, in 2001.
Marc Márquez
“Of course it will be natural to feel some pressure in Valencia with so much at stake, but honestly there has been pressure for the entire second part of the season. And the fact that we’ve been able to manage some tricky situations, as was the case at the last race in Malaysia, gives me a positive feeling. Regarding the track, I feel good because I like Valencia. It’s an anticlockwise circuit, which normally suits me. Of course it’s also good to have a points advantage to manage. That said, we won’t think too much about any of those things. We definitely don’t think it will be easy, so we won’t go to Valencia with any extra confidence. We’ll keep the same mentality and working method that have brought us to where we are, and we’ll give 100 per cent because it will be important to be fast beginning with FP1.”
Dani Pedrosa
“We head to Valencia in a positive mood, looking to try and finish the season with a good result. I always feel a good atmosphere there, and I get a lot of good energy from the fans! We made a step with our bike setup in Malaysia and this gives us confidence for the weekend. Valencia is a track that I like a lot, I’ve been strong in the past and had good results so I hope to that the bike works well there and we can do a good race.”
