How Ducati crashes pointed Marc Marquez toward “extra boost” at Misano MotoGP

The number of Ducati crashes in qualifying was one factor in a key decision making process for Marc Marquez before the Misano MotoGP Sprint, he says.

Marquez won the San Marino MotoGP Sprint leading every lap, controlling the race from start-to-finish after taking first place from pole sitter Marco Bezzecchi at the first turn, just as he did in Aragon two weeks ago.

The Spaniard had been one of a few riders to choose the medium-compound rear tyre, while Bezzecchi had chosen the soft.

Over the 50 per cent distance, the soft is the standard choice, but this year the medium has become increasingly popular even on Saturday afternoons.

Marquez said he knew the difference between soft and medium was small, but that he had more confidence in being able to win the 13-lapper with the harder compound.

“I believed that the way to work with the soft [compound rear tyre] was the correct one for the Sprint race, but step-by-step I understand, and we analysed with Ducati, both tyres were very equal; with both tyres it was possible to finish on the podium in the Sprint race,” Marc Marquez said after the Sprint at Misano.

“But it’s true that the feedback, the data, and all these things give me the idea to go with the medium.

“I knew that, with the soft, I was able to finish second or third, and with the medium I was able to finish second, third, or the victory. 

“So, gave me that extra boost to fight with Bezzecchi.”

Marquez added that he decided to use the medium rear tyre “on the grid”, and that one thing pushing him towards the medium instead of the soft was the amount of Ducati riders who crashed in qualifying with the soft rear, including Alex Marquez, twice, and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

“With the medium I was able to manage better,” he said. “It depends on the bike, depends on the riding style, but with the soft this morning I had some problems that I saw it was a bit risky.

“As you saw in qualifying many Ducati riders crashed in the same way. 

“With the medium, I believe that it was better for the experience that I have inside Ducati.”

All of the Ducati riders who crashed in qualifying went down losing the front; Marquez’s comments therefore suggest that the problem for the Ducati riders has been the extra grip of the soft rear tyre pushing the front tyre – a common issue throughout history, and especially in the last season-and-a-half, for Ducati.

Marquez himself didn’t crash in qualifying but he did have a few moments, including one on his first flying lap at the high-speed turn 11.

But it was a wheelie out of turn eight that Marquez says triggered his “most dangerous” moment.

“I did a mistake from turn eight to nine,” he said. “That one was the most dangerous one, because, if you analyse, I got out from eight, start to wheelie, and I tried to change direction.

“I mean the wheelie was too long, and then I was not able to change direction well, but I didn’t close [the throttle] because it was qualifying, and I touched the grass before [entering] turn nine with a very high speed. So that was the most dangerous point.”

Looking to Sunday, Marquez expects a similar race, but suggested that he would be content with finishing second to Bezzecchi.

“Tomorrow, I believe that Marco with the medium rear tyre will be the guy to beat,” the Ducati Lenovo Team rider said. 

“He has this extra boost, he will push – as we see today he will never give up, and I expect tomorrow Marco will be very fast. 

“But tomorrow we took 12 points, so if tomorrow we take 20 and he takes 25 we only lose three points [over the whole weekend], so not bad.”