Barcelona has always been a difficult circuit to deal with for Marc Marquez, who in addition to battling with some flu on Friday of the last championship weekend suffered even more due to the difficult track conditions, quite different from those faced in May.
Eighth at the end of the first day of free practice behind his brother's GP23, the Spaniard has already shown in the past, including in Barcelona itself, that he can respond in the race by finishing all the way on the podium. "It will be difficult to get a podium," he admitted this time, however, showing more caution about his expectations, although on the race pace what he said looks more promising.
In the background, it is clear, what dominates is the battle between Martin and Bagnaia for the title. Just 11 years ago, it was 2013, a young Marc Marquez was fighting against an already established Jorge Lorenzo.
The comparison, however, is difficult according to Marc, "Martin has more experience in MotoGP, I was only 20 years old, he will be able to handle it well," he then commented on those who pointed the finger at Jorge Martin's nervousness.
"It wasn't a surprise," Marc Marquez began, "as always whenever we race here in Barcelona I have more difficulties than usual and we have to suffer. Now I have a lot of work ahead of me to try to improve.
The only positive note of the day is to have gotten into Q2 and to have improved compared to this morning's session, in the last partial I lost a lot but we already have an explanation. Tomorrow I will try to take another step forward, the goal will be to be in the top five positions because I think to get a podium in this GP will be really difficult."
Are the difficult conditions an additional disadvantage or could they help you?
"The conditions on the track today were really strange, but it was like that for everyone. For me it was worse than when we raced here in May. The feeling is worse and it's hard to know where the limit is, it's easy to risk losing the front.
If you push too hard you risk destroying the tires, despite the lower temperatures, so everything is more complicated. Michelin, however, was prescient, it did a good job and brought many tire options, now we'll have to figure out which one will be the best."
With the same difficulties you had in May, you got podiums on the race weekend and now you have even more experience on the Ducati. Are you surprised that you have these feelings about the bike?
"I'm not surprised because even though the adaptation was there, from one day to the next the conditions on the track can change and one rider is faster than another. So it all depends on the feeling you have on the bike, the riding style.
Here in Barcelona with the colder temperatures I'm struggling a little bit more but in terms of pace like in May I'm not that far away. My feeling is better on used tires. In the last race I started 14th, here (in the worst case scenario, ed.) I will start 12th, so that would already be a step forward."
During the first free practice session you got to see the contact between Acosta and Augusto Fernandez.
"It was a dangerous situation, but more like unfortunate because it happened in FP1. I think it was Augusto's fault because Acosta had no way to see it. They are teammates though so I don't think there will be any problems.
This morning was a strange session overall, everyone was going pretty slow, Pirro crashed on the first lap, Augusto tried to pass on the outside, but being teammates luckily there was no mess."
Martin seemed very nervous, he almost crashed at turn 5, came back to the pits and was flailing around. That's normal, he's fighting for the title. Remember when you were in his position for the first time, what advice would you give him?
"Honestly Martin doesn't seem nervous at all, I think he was the only rider who tried all the tires. He's clearly looking for limits, and it's best to look for them during practice sessions. It's clear that it's harder to ride when you know that in 24 laps of the race you could win the title.
Especially in his position, when you can only lose it while Pecco can only win it. I remember those feelings in 2013 fighting against Lorenzo who was already a four-time world champion, twice in MotoGP. It was not easy, I was 20 years old. I think Martin has more experience in MotoGP and can handle that pressure well."
How did Bagnaia seem to you instead?
"I saw a very strong Bagnaia, who did what he has to do, which is to take risks, go fast, lead the sessions, which is what he did."
Could having these difficulties here in Barcelona also be a problem in Tuesday's testing?
"For me trying new parts, or in this case a new bike, on a difficult circuit can be a very positive thing. It allows you to better feel the difference if there is one, for better or for worse. On the other hand, when you're riding on a circuit where you're already fast, the positive feelings can be deceiving. So it will be good to test here in Barcelona, although it is clear that I enjoy it much more on other circuits."
Today there were two GP23s that went fast, your brother Alex's and Bezzecchi's.
"My brother has always been competitive here in Barcelona. In some races he did very well. In Malaysia he finished 4th. Bezzecchi, on the other hand, is very fast in special circumstances, like this weekend, and when it is cold or there is little grip on the rear he can go very fast.
He is also one of my references. Logically, if you have the same bike, you can compare in a much more precise way what happens."
