Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez used an old saying to explain one of the keys to success in world championship racing.
The Ducati star was asked for advice during an Estrella Galicia event, where Moto2 rookie Jose Antonio Rueda posed the question, where is the limit today: on the bike, in the strategy, or in the rider’s mind?
“It’s curious because in MotoGP and Moto2, many times you try to go faster and you actually end up going slower,” Marc Marquez replied.
“It’s like the saying: ‘dress me slowly, I’m in a hurry.’”
Marquez explained that a race weekend must be carefully planned, building step by step from opening practice.
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“You must start from FP1, already building the weekend without ever forgetting about the fast lap, because qualifying is very important,” he said.
“But at the same time, you must prepare for the Sprint race and the main race, which require two different riding styles.”
Marquez also emphasised the importance of studying rivals and knowing when victory is out of reach, something he struggled with earlier in his career.
“That’s where you always have to keep an eye on your rivals – what they do better, what they do worse and where they are,” he said.
“In the end, they’re the ones who really tell you whether you have the level to be at the front that weekend, or whether it’s one of those weekends when they say: ‘this one is ours.’”
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Marc Marquez, Jose Antonio Rueda, Diogo Moreira (Estrella Galicia)
“I love it – instinct, always.”
Marquez then turned the tables by asking Rueda and MotoGP rookie Diogo Moreira how they approach overtaking late in a race.
“When there are five laps to go, are you more the type to think about the last lap, or do you go more by instinct?” Marquez asked.
“It depends a lot on the situation,” Rueda said. “If it’s in the early races, I might go with instinct and take a few more risks.”
Reigning Moto2 champion Moreira, who often trains with both Marquez brothers, said instinct usually takes over in a fight for victory.
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“Especially when you’re fighting to win the race, it’s pure instinct,” he said.
“We’ve already experienced it in the past and even in training (laughs)… I hope I can do that in the future. For me, it’s total instinct, one hundred percent.”
Marquez approved of the answer.
“I love it – instinct, always.”
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