Marc Marquez again made a statement of intent in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. On Saturday at the Jerez circuit, the Repsol Honda rider took the best time in the afternoon shootout to make optimum use of the final 15 minutes.
The reigning World Champion and his team opted to use three new soft tyres instead of the two utilised by his rivals, taking two trips to the pits. His reward for the gamble was a fourth pole position in as many races. He will be joined by teammate Dani Pedrosa on the front row, in third.
With a strategy devised in collaboration with his team, the current series leader broke Jorge Lorenzo’s circuit record at Jerez that had stood since 2008 (when qualifying tyres were still permitted). His time of 1’38.120 placed him on pole for the Spanish GP, and drew him closer in the history books to Valentino Rossi –who took five consecutive poles back in 2002 when riding for Repsol Honda. Dani Pedrosa led the third free practice session, with Marquez third, was fifth in FP4 and finished the day with the third fastest qualifying time. His 1’38.630 lap puts him on the front row of the grid.
Marc Marquez: "I am very happy with this pole position, as it was hard fought and I wasn't expecting it. We are suffering a little more here than at other tracks, but despite this we are still at the same level as Lorenzo and Dani [Pedrosa]. We changed our strategy at the last minute; I asked Santi [Hernandez] if it would be possible to use three soft tyres, and he said that it was. It was all last minute and I am satisfied with how it worked out, but we know that tomorrow is the important day. Jorge and, above all, Dani have a great pace."