Marquez grits his teeth in Austria

This is the first time since his return for the Portuguese GP this year that Marc Marquez has competed in two Grands Prix in a row on the same circuit. If before this second meeting at Red Bull Ring, the Catalan said he was rather confident and calm, he was quickly called to order, right from the first free practice session.

Still working his way back to full fitness! 💪

Signs of discomfort for @marcmarquez93? 🤔#AustrianGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/H74chSiGOR

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 13

He actually held his arm on several occasions in FP1, which implies that he still has a long way to go before regaining his full potential. “ I am suffering, admits the Honda representative. This circuit is one of those on which I have the most difficulty due to the heavy braking. Some drivers, even though they are in great shape, go through the Mobile Clinic, because this route is demanding on the right shoulder. Last weekend I suffered a lot, and today in FP1 I suffered a lot... When I was fresh I was immediately fast, but as soon as the pain comes I start to slow down. drive well and everything gets worse, even the settings. »

“Patience is one of the virtues that I hated before or that I didn’t have…”

Fortunately, a hail storm allowed him to ride in the wet in the afternoon and therefore put less strain on his arm. “ I didn't attack much, specifies Marquez who is ranked ninth in the combined rankings. I focused on trying things. But of course, the wet session this afternoon helped me survive the weekend better. »

In Spanish, Marquez also confided that he cannot promise that he will return to the way he was before: “ That's the intention, I can promise that I will try, but I can't promise that I will or not, because you can't know. » He must therefore still demonstrate patience, something he has lacked in the past: “(…) Patience is one of the virtues that I hated before or didn't have, but with time and experience you see that sometimes it puts you on the right path. »

Today, Marquez used the same chassis with which he competed in the race last Sunday. “ We tested other things, he emphasizes without going into details. We learned both positives and negatives from it. Tomorrow I will continue with these “other things”, but if the weather is good I might try something else. I can't say what it is. For today, HRC decided to do more, and for tomorrow, the team and I decided to do more. We will aim to be faster, whereas today we tested a concept instead. »

As a reminder, Marquez has never won at the Red Bull Ring. It is one of the two circuits which still resist him in MotoGP with Portimao on which he has only raced once so far.