– The hunt for a new MotoGP lap record continued during Friday’s practice at MotorLand Aragon. With 1:45.455 minutes, Marco Bezzecchi set a new best mark for this track.
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The Aprilia rider was 0.010 seconds faster than Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) and 0.038 seconds faster than Marc Marquez (Ducati). Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46-Ducati) was already three tenths of a second behind in fourth place.
Bezzecchi achieved the new lap record despite still being physically impaired. The aftereffects of his crash at the Sachsenring are still noticeable, especially in his left knee.
“My knee is a big problem,” the Italian states. Nevertheless, he was fast and competitive. “Yes, well, today I felt good. I felt good with the motorcycle.”
“I started well this morning and was able to make a small step forward in the afternoon. It is true that I still make a few too many mistakes as a rider, but I felt good.”
“It is also true that the pain never completely goes away because I always put weight on my left side with my knee, but what can you do? Compared to Silverstone, I feel better.”
“But as far as the pain is concerned, it will be tough,” says Bezzecchi. “This part of the season will unfortunately be tough because the knee injury is quite unfortunate. At the moment, I am living day to day because of it.”
“Of course, I have to manage my energy a bit more during the day, especially on Friday. Even if that might be the less demanding day, the first day is usually very exhausting.”
Bezzecchi does not want to overestimate his best time, as he believes that especially Marc Marquez has not yet put all his cards on the table. Bezzecchi still sees the Ducati rider as the favorite.
“Marc definitely hid a bit because he didn’t even do the second qualifying attempt. I’m sure he will be the man to beat tomorrow, but for now, it’s fine for me.”
It was noticeable that despite the best time, Bezzecchi was not the fastest in any sector. Alex Marquez was ahead in the first two sectors and Marc Marquez in the third. However, Bezzecchi was only just behind the best times in all sectors.
Marc Marquez: “A track to attack”
In the morning practice, Marc Marquez was still ahead, but his lead diminished as the day went on. In the end, he could not improve in his second qualifying attempt either.
In the sector analysis, the previous year’s winner made up time especially in the twisty third sector. “I am under the record, but not the fastest,” says Marc Marquez about his lap time.
“That means everyone is super fast and everything is very close together. It will be a tough weekend, but we are in it and fighting with the top, with the best riders. That is the most important.”
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With seven MotoGP wins, Marc Marquez is by far the most successful rider at MotorLand Aragon. Already on Thursday, he announced that his mentality was different after the difficult weekend in Silverstone.
“This is a track to attack,” he emphasizes after the practice sessions. “The fact that it is a track with left turns and most hard braking points are on the left side should, I think, not be a problem.”
By problem, he means his right shoulder. “For this reason, I already went into attack mode in FT1,” says Marc Marquez. And what does he still have to work on? “There are still small points.”
“I mean, the base of the motorcycle is good. I feel comfortable, and we are changing small things. Tomorrow morning we have to try a little something to see if I can be a bit faster.”
“But the fact that I am very consistent means that I feel comfortable with the motorcycle.” Nevertheless, he assumes that the races will not be a solo run for him, as the top was also close together in race pace.
“Bezzecchi, Alex, especially these two are currently riding very well,” names Marc Marquez his opponents. “And it’s only Friday. We must not forget Martin, who will also be there, and also Di Giannantonio.”
“Let’s see, we also have to understand how it behaves when the track gets warmer. Because over the course of the weekend, the temperature will rise.” Marc Marquez tried both rear tires during race preparations.
Alex Marquez does not see himself in the fight for the win
Alex Marquez missed the best time in the third sector, where his brother was very strong. “I always lose a bit of time there,” says the Gresini rider, “in all classes, but I think today it was a bit too much.”
“Normally, I lost about a tenth, one and a half tenths there last year, but not three. So I also made a few mistakes and didn’t put everything together.”
“Especially at the braking point of turn 12, I lose a lot. I don’t feel one hundred percent comfortable with the front tire. So for tomorrow, we have to try something at this point to make a step forward.”
In the morning practice, Alex Marquez still struggled with a locking front wheel during braking. For the afternoon practice, a good step was made with the setup.
Nevertheless, Alex Marquez does not believe he can fight for the win: “I have the feeling that I am still a bit away from Marc and Bezzecchi, who still have a bit more.”
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