Marc Marquez enjoys “best feeling of the season” then pays a price at Brno MotoGP

Marc Marquez began the Czech MotoGP weekend at Brno with what he described as his “best feeling of the season”, topping FP1 despite a late crash.

But the reigning champion admitted he paid the price for expending too much energy and later wished he had settled for tenth place.

Instead, Marquez suffered another fall at the start of the afternoon session.

"It made no sense" to lead FP1

“The first run of this morning was the best feeling of the season,” Marc Marquez said.

“Then step by step during the day it was coming a bit worse, worse and worse.

“For that reason, I tried to save energy, and if you check the lap time, I wasn't constant.

“Let's see if tomorrow and Sunday we can keep going, but I feel like here the stress to the right arm is much more than the Balaton.

“If I could [turn back time] I would finish tenth in FP1, because I used too much energy and it made no sense.

“It's difficult, because at the same time you need to try the bike, but I was using too much energy and then I paid a bit in the afternoon.

“Brno is less demanding about the physical condition than Mugello, but it's also not like Balaton.

“Balaton, you are pushing a lot on the left side of the body; here you are using more of the right side, so I feel it.”

Marquez also explained why both of his crashes came in left-hand corners, despite his recovering right arm.

“This morning I crashed in Turn 7, but the mistake was coming from Turn 6 [a right-hander],” said Marquez, who eventually finished the day in fifth to secure direct Qualifying 2 access.

“It was my mistake to not give up on Turn 7, but the mistake was coming from the change direction, that was the first time that I really pushed… but the body was not following, and I went too wide on Turn 7.

“Then this afternoon, I just relaxed [too much]. That left corner [Turn 11] is where I relax to save energy for the right corners.”

Tardozzi, Ducati "tried to save me"

In the crucial closing stages of the afternoon, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi spoke with Marquez - then fastest - and advised him not to attempt another time attack.

“Yes, my plan was just to do one time attack and then save energy,” Marquez said.

“Davide and Ducati know my physical condition, they tried to save me because they know that it's not the time to attack. But they know me at the same time, that when I close the visor it's difficult to control my instinct.

“So it's there where I need to be calm.

“In Mugello, it was easier to be patient. Here it's more difficult, because you feel closer to the top guys, and then it's more difficult to control your instinct.”

"Top 5"

Marquez, who swept to a perfect double victory last time in Hungary despite dismissing his chances ahead of the event, then set out this weekend's targets.

“My goal tomorrow is the first two rows in qualifying. And in the sprint and main race, top five.”

VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio was the top Ducati rider in third with Marquez team-mate Pecco Bagnaia just ahead of the Spaniard in fourth.