Marquez, Lorenzo talk FP3 encounter

Marc Marquez has revealed he “understood” team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s explanation as to why the Majorcan was riding slowly on the racing line in MotoGP FP3 and said his own reaction was down to him "riding with 180bpm.”

The reigning world champion was incensed when, late into the morning session, he had to slow around turn three due to Lorenzo’s touring. Cameras soon caught him gesticulating angrily in his team-mate's direction. “I was so angry,” he admitted.

But Lorenzo’s apology seemed to clear the air. Marquez explained that once he “was calmer” and the fear of dropping outside the all-important top ten had subsided, he could see the #99’s point of view.

Marquez also noted how he was twice penalised in 2018 for similar actions to Lorenzo’s in FP3. He then pointed out how neither his team-mate, nor Joan Mir, who blocked the reigning world champion at one point during the Mugello weekend, were punished.

Speaking to Spanish journalists after Saturday’s press conference, Marquez, said, “He [Lorenzo] apologised to me, because he was in the middle of turn three. While people can say it's only free practice, it was the third one, in which the last laps are like qualifying.

“I was so angry because I knew that my lap was the one to enter Q2 directly. In the end I finished ninth, the worst classification of the year.

“It’s clear that last year I was twice in the middle of the track and on both occasions I was penalised. At Mugello I came across [Joan] Mir, we touched and everything and then at the end of FP3 it happened again with Lorenzo. But this happens... When it does everyone has to be judged equally. There is no difference.

"He simply apologised. Logically [after the session finished] I was calmer and I understood, because no rider waits in the middle of the track – or at least I hope they don’t.

“But logically I knew he didn’t know I was there. But the reaction is because I was riding with 180bpm [heartbeats per minute], and I wasn’t sure if I was going straight into Q2.”

When Lorenzo was asked about the incident, he explained, “For what happened with Marc we see many times in MotoGP all the riders are very focussed to make the fastest lap that we can do.

“You need to go faster in all the practices, you are putting all the concentration and if you cannot keep going it’s difficult to go off the line because you don’t have so many options sometimes.

“You go completely outside the track, or you sometimes you just need to enter on the line. You don’t have chances. In FP3 I did my fast lap, I tried to do another lap but I didn’t make the line in the first corner, I went outside the track.

“Finally I had to go back onto the line. I didn’t know Marc was there. I just knew that [Miguel] Oliveira was there because I overtook him on the straight. It just happened.”

Having qualified tenth, eight places behind Marquez, Lorenzo believes Sunday’s race at the Circuit of Barcelona represents a chance to score his first top ten finish with Honda MotoGP machinery.

“We’ve been working to make me feel comfortable,” said the 32-year old. “We didn’t make a giant step forward but small modifications make me more comfortable on the bike.

“I can ride a bit more aggressive with slightly more speed and consistency. Still we miss quite a bit to be closer to the fastest. I think we are having probably the most consistent weekend in all the championship.

“Everything is possible in the race. A lot will depend on the start, on the pace, on the tyres. But I think a realistic goal for tomorrow is to try and finish in the top ten for the first time.

“Our pace is still not to be in the top five. Everything can happen. We can have some crashes tomorrow but realistically I think my goal should be finishing inside the top ten for the first time.”