The answer did not take very long to come since after a laborious FP1 where the Italian driver was satisfied with a 15th place, the latter pre-qualified directly for Q2 during Practice thanks to the ninth time achieved. In qualifying, number 72 retained this position, before finishing rather satisfied with the Sprint in 8th place.
» I wasn’t perfect, maybe with the software I would have performed better today, but I collected a lot of data and maybe I have an advantage for Sunday. »
This Sunday, the only driver of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team actually did even better by getting a good start, then, eighth at the end of the first lap, by applying a constant pace until coming back into contact with the drivers who were fighting for fourth place. He then fought for fourth place for more than half the race, before finishing sixth at the finish line.
The man from Rimini credits Valentino Rossi with this step forward and now finds himself 11th in the general classification, with 73 points.
“I’m happy!” A good race with lots of overtaking. Those of Aleix (Espargaro) and Jack (Miller) made me happy. I had a good start, I pushed to be able to get closer to the Top5. I had a good feeling on the braking and I took full advantage of it. We are getting closer, Vale has given me a lot of advice and yesterday’s work with him has paid off. Today I managed to be more precise when braking, a crucial aspect on this circuit. Then towards the end, the front tire gave out a little, mainly because of the temperature, and I had to let go to be able to preserve the rear. Lots of great emotions, I can’t wait to get back to work! »
Paul Grandson, team manager: “A bittersweet GP: on the one hand Fabio’s bad fall which forced him to retire, on the other a weekend, but above all a very solid race from Marco who always managed to stay in the lead. group of protagonists. It was necessary, already at Silverstone the sensations were very good and here he made it happen again and reduced the gap. He feels more comfortable driving and the performance is better. Too bad for Fabio, we are waiting for the final medical checks in Italy and we expect him on the track as soon as possible to continue to progress. »
