Marc Marquez's one-word response to challenging Aprilia in Assen MotoGP
Marc Marquez gave a one-word verdict on his chances of being closer to the dominant Aprilias in this afternoon's Assen MotoGP.
Marc Marquez gave a blunt assessment of his chances of closing the gap to Aprilia in Sunday's Assen MotoGP after finishing sixth in morning warm-up.
“Er… no!” Marc Marquez answered during the riders' parade.
“So, just try to do our best," he added.
After winning three of the four races heading into Assen, Ducati's reigning champion has been no higher than fifth in any session this weekend.
"Yesterday we finished, I would say, in seventh place," Marquez said.
"Just Pecco touched the green for one centimetre [and had to drop one position]. Of course, rules are rules, but he didn't gain anything.
“But let's see [what we can do today].”
Aprilia has dominated the Dutch event, locking out the top four places in qualifying before claiming a one-two in the Sprint with Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura.
VR46 Ducati rider Fabio di Giannantonio at least broke up the RS-GPs with third place on Saturday, but admitted victory would be a huge challenge.
“For sure, it would be an amazing dream to win here,” said di Giannantonio. “I think that the Aprilias have better chances than us, but for sure we will give our best and try to break their balls!”
After missing out on the Sprint podium, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi returned to the top of the timesheets in warm-up.
“Yesterday was not a bad Sprint,” said the Italian. “It's true that at the beginning I lost a little bit too much, but I will try my best to start in a better way and be there with the top guys, be able to fight and try to enjoy the race.”
Bezzecchi extended his championship lead by one point over team-mate and pole-sitter Jorge Martin after the Spaniard faded to fifth on Saturday.
The Spaniard was then only 11th in warm-up and admitted they had taken the wrong direction with setup.
“We tried something in the warm-up, it didn't work out,” Martin said. “So, let's try to improve a bit the riding style for the track. It seems we lose a bit in T3. So we'll try to put everything together.”
Marquez's factory Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia was third in warm-up and believes a podium remains possible.
“Difficult because all the Aprilias are super strong and super fast, but I think if we manage to do a good start, yes, we can fight for it,” Bagnaia said.
“It will be super important to start well.”
Bezzecchi will start nine points ahead of Martin, 22 clear of di Giannantonio and 42 in front of Marquez.
The 26-lap race is due to start at 2pm local time (1pm UK).
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
