Marc Marquez turns “big mistake” into Phillip Island MotoGP pole
Marc Marquez makes amends for a "big mistake" at the start of MotoGP qualifying at Phillip Island.
Marc Marquez held up his hands for making a big mistake at the start of qualifying for the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.
The reigning champion, locked in a title battle with Jorge Martin, had dominated the wet final practice but was then caught out on his opening flying lap in qualifying.
Sliding off at the Miller corner hairpin with no time recorded, Marquez was in danger of being left deep on the grid for both races.
However, he got his Ducati back to the paddock via a service road, then walked straight through the pits, onto his spare bike and leapt from last to pole on his first complete flying lap!
Marquez later returned to put pole position almost 1.5s clear of his nearest rival and younger brother Alex Marquez.
“You cannot crash on the first lap because it means you don't have a lap time. So I did a big mistake in that Turn 4,” Marc Marquez said in parc ferme.
“But then the team were ready with the other bike. I kept focus, I tried to find the same feeling as Free Practice.
“And the last lap is the one that I hit all in, and it was a good lap.”
Gresini rider Alex admitted the changing weather had been stressful.
“Yeah, really stressful. We knew the rain could come back, so I did a good lap time at the start of qualifying,” Alex Marquez explained.
“Then later on, I was not expecting to improve the lap time because it was raining a lot.
“I saw Marc improved a little bit, but I said, ‘Okay, he's Marc!’ But later when I went back out, I saw it was not raining, so I said, ‘it’s time to push’.
“The last lap was not bad and we are on the front row, which was the main target.
“We have a good feeling in the dry and also wet. You never know what will happen in three hours from now, so you need to be ready for everything.”
Johann Zarco completed the front row for LCR Honda after joining Jack Miller in fighting through Qualifying 1.
The Frenchman, a renowned wet weather rider, also described his morning as “very stressful” as he tried to decide between the soft and medium wet tyres.
“I had to go through Q1, and even if I knew I have enough speed it depends on the track conditions if we put the medium rear tyre, the soft rear tyre or the medium front, because the track was really in-between,” Zarco said.
“So you think, ‘It's raining, I cannot switch to the medium’, but then you go out, it's not raining anymore, and with the wind it's getting dry. It was like this all the time.
“At the end of Q1, I was on the limit to not go through, so I'm happy that I improved my lap time even with the soft. Then I was sure that medium will work in Q2.
“But in the beginning of Q2, it was raining. So we put a soft rear back on – and then it stopped raining!
“I improved, but I think if I waited until the last lap with the medium rear, maybe I could catch pole.
“But pretty happy to put the Honda in first row.”
Title leader Jorge Martin was first of the Aprilias in fourth place, but will lose the world championship lead if Marc Marquez wins the Sprint.
After a dry Friday, rain showers are set to continue for the rest of Saturday, with heavier rain forecast for Sunday’s final Phillip Island MotoGP race.
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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.
