Marquez to take cautious approach to MotoGP Dutch GP after Friday crash

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez says he will need to race cautiously in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix given the injuries he picked up in practice on Friday.

Although the 32-year-old produced another sprint race victory on Saturday, he admitted to feeling the effects of the two big crashes he suffered on the first day of action. 

“The body is like a diesel [engine], you know?” said the six-time champion, who took the lead on lap one and then held off his brother Alex to win the sprint.

“It takes time to warm up and everything feels a bit stiff. It was [like] a lazy Saturday! I just have some pain in my finger and my right arm, but it didn’t affect the performance a lot. It’s more the confidence and the way to ride; the position [on the bike].”

While his speed does indeed seem to be at its usual level despite the injuries, Marquez is aware that this may not be the case should he make another error in the warm-up or the race on Sunday.

“I understand that my body cannot accept another big crash,” he proclaimed. “So today I [raced calmly]. 

“Trying not to lose a lot of championship points was the target today. And tomorrow will be the same mentality. If somebody is faster than us, I will accept it and finish the race.”

The Spaniard added weight to the idea that the sprint win was a welcome bonus by admitting he was not the fastest rider in the 13-lap race.

“Today I was not the fastest out there, but I won the sprint, so I’m happy,” he said.  “The fastest guy in the practice sessions was Pecco [Bagnaia]. Then in the sprint, I believe it was Alex.”

Marquez explained that the nature of the Assen circuit and his strength under braking were key to him sealing victory despite the threat from his younger brother. 

“It looks like you can overtake [at Assen], but if the rider in front has good drive, brakes late and doesn’t make any mistakes, then it’s super difficult,” said Marc, who holds a 43-point advantage over his brother in second in the championship.

“I’m very strong on the braking points, that is my strong point. My bike set-up is just for the brakes. I’m the Ducati rider who brakes latest.

“For that reason, I struggle more here – you have only three braking points,” continued Marquez, whose actual pace around Assen was modest enough for him to miss the front row for only the second time this season. “But these are where the riders normally overtake. 

“So that’s where I focus on being precise and braking in a correct way. And [then] I just manage all the weak points.”