Marc Marquez says he needs to improve his consistency over a long run if he is to challenge for a debut victory in Qatar on Sunday. The Moto2 champion was fastest after Friday’s third practice session and was delighted with his pace but he still feels he has work to do if he is to be similarly competitive in the race.
“Practice today went pretty well – better than expected. I was very comfortable on the bike, and this is the important thing. Our foundation isn’t bad at all, we are improving in every session and working with Sunday’s race in mind. What we are missing is a bit of pace and consistency. We will have to make the most of the 30 minutes that we have before qualifying tomorrow to improve those points”.
Dani Pedrosa was only sixth fastest on the second Repsol Honda and admits he is still suffering on the low-grip Losail surface.
“We improved a little today and are now further up the order. We are faster and entering corners better, but we’ve still got a way to go. We hope to gain a little rear grip, which would allow us to ride more comfortably. The times keep dropping with every session, but we are going to try to keep getting better and prepare for qualifying and the race. The track isn’t in good condition this year and I don’t think that this will change; maybe it will improve slightly as more laps are completed. However, this doesn’t mean making any big changes to the bike – just improving the setup for the conditions we have”.
