Marc Marquez admits he was “afraid” ahead of MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, as cooler weather at Jerez made the track “easier to be faster” on for his rivals.
Marquez topped FP1 and FP4 at Jerez, and looked set to claim his third-straight 2019 pole in qualifying before being demoted to third by Petronas SRT duo Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli late on.
The Honda rider later admitted he knew qualifying would be tighter due to the cloudier conditions lowering track temperatures, and this forced him into a three-run strategy to try to combat the increased threat from those around him.
However, he was unable to improve on his initial 1:36.970s on his second and third laps, with his final attempt hindered further by a front tyre past its best.
“Today, honestly speaking I was a little bit afraid for this qualy, because when it is cloudy it's easier to be faster on this track,” said Marquez, who typically excels in low-grip conditions.
“Tomorrow, if it's warmer everything becomes more difficult. But I knew that a few riders with the soft rear tyre, they were very, very fast.
“So for that reason I tried to use three tyres, but with the last one the front was already too used.
“Apart from that, I'm happy. We achieved our goal, which was the front row, because here it is difficult to overtake.”
Marquez ended FP4 with the strongest long run pace of the field, and admits he feels “ready to win”.
However, he feels Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso – who will start fourth – will challenge, and says the SRT duo ahead of him “need to be there” in the race, given their starting position.
“First of all I think Dovi has a very good pace, so he will be there,” Marquez added.
“He has a lot of experience, he can manage lots of situations. Then of course Fabio and Franco, if they are in the front row they need to be there.
“So they will be there, they will be fast. But Jerez is a really long race. It's 25 laps, it's difficult to keep concentration, [it's a] short circuit, narrow.
“So we will try to be focused on our bike and on our performance, because at the moment I feel ready to fight for the win.”
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