Marc Marquez “in attack mode” at Aragon MotoGP but “everything is very close”

Marc Marquez says he was “in attack mode” from FP1 on Friday at the MotoGP Aragon Grand Prix, despite warning of a change in approach after Silverstone.

The Ducati rider admitted after the British Grand Prix that he pushed too hard earlier in the weekend, which left him sapped of energy in his still-recovering right shoulder for the main race.

On Thursday ahead of the Aragon Grand Prix, he said he would change his approach to conserve energy on Fridays to be fresher for the races.

However, he topped FP1 at a more physically friendly circuit for him at Aragon, before going underneath the lap record in third in Practice.

Asked if he was being cautious, Marc Marquez replied: “It’s a circuit to attack, so then I need to attack.

“It doesn’t matter; let’s see how I will survive.

“But the fact that it’s a left corner circuit and most of the hard brake points are on the left side, I believe it will not be a problem. For that reason, I started in an attack mode from FP1.”

“Everybody is super-fast”

Marquez was on course to top Practice on Friday afternoon, too, but was denied by Marco Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez.

“I’m under the record but not the fastest,” he added.

“So, that means everybody is super-fast, and everything is very close, and it will be a tough weekend.

“But we are there fighting with the top riders, so this is the most important thing.”

Marquez is unbeaten at Aragon in both sprints and grands prix since joining Ducati in 2024, while his hit rate at anticlockwise tracks stands at 61% for his career.

But he is wary of the threat posed by Alex Marquez and Bezzecchi, as well as championship leader Jorge Martin.

“Bezzecchi, Alex, especially these two guys are riding in a very good way,” he said.

“And we are only on Friday; we cannot forget Martin, who will be there, Di Giannantonio.

“So, let’s see. We need to understand and understand how it will be with more temperature on the race track, because during the weekend it will increase.”

Marquez says he has “a small thing” to try on his Ducati on Saturday morning, but he is currently “comfortable” with his bike.

“Still some small points,” he asked if he had anything to improve.

“The base of the bike is good, I’m feeling well, and we are changing small things.

“We need to try tomorrow morning a small thing, [to see] if I can be a bit faster. But the fact that I’m very consistent means that I feel comfortable with the bike.”