Honda rider and reigning MotoGP World Champion, Marc Marquez took fourth place in Sunday evening’s season opening Qatar Grand Prix.
The Losail evening was affected by mixed weather conditions that created quite a tricky situation for the Spanish rider and his colleagues.
A brief, light rain shower fell just minutes before the planned race time of 9 p.m., causing the GP start time and race distance to be changed twice.
Finally, the lights went off at 9:45, following two warm-up laps that preceded a 20-lap race.
In the hectic moments preceding the race, Marc changed his front tyre on the grid, switching from a hard-front/medium-rear combination to a medium-medium spec, but he struggled with the front during the race.
After a good start, Marc fought hard for second for half of the race but finally had to settle for fourth behind Valentino Rossi in third.
“We were aware that we struggle a bit at this track, but as always we kept a positive attitude, as we also knew that if everything was in place, we could have fought for the podium or even the victory. I think we worked well over the weekend, and we had everything clear,” he said. “Our plan was to use the harder front compound, but the chaotic situation with the rain and the continuous delays created many doubts.”
“In the end we decided to go with the medium front, aiming to reduce the risk of crashing, but this turned out to be our biggest mistake of the weekend. I struggled with the front the entire time; I couldn’t brake hard and after few laps the tyre was already wearing off.”
“We continued to have some small issues with acceleration, but even so I had a good feeling with my bike. But with that tyre choice, I wasn't able to gain on braking. That’s my strongest point, so I decided, okay let’s finish this race and Argentina will be another race.”
