“Martín and Bagnaia will set the bar very high to win in Thailand”

The Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Márquez (Ducati) has assured this Thursday that facing the Thai Grand Prix this weekend and until the end of the championship his objective is to always be fighting for the podium and for one more victory, such as the achieved in Australia, although he believes that on the Chang track the victory will be expensive due to the “very high bar” that Jorge Martín and Francesco Bagnaia will set.

“These two (Martín and Bagnaia) are going to set the bar very high to fight for victory but we will try to continue with the pressure, we have been fighting for the podium and with some victories and I hope that here we can fight for the podium too,” he said in news conference.

Jorge Martín currently leads the championship with a 20-point margin over the current champion, ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia. Márquez, for his part, is third and far from being able to get into that fight, since his objective at the qualifying level is to continue moving away from the fourth placed, Enea Bastianini.

Asked how Martín and Bagnaia may feel in this final stretch, he acknowledged that it is not an easy situation for either of them. “I remember what it felt like in that position, a long time ago, and I remember that you are suffering. Because in three races it is decided whether you are champion or not, but they are both in shape and super fast,” he said.

“Martín has a small advantage, perhaps ‘Pecco’ has to take some risk but ‘Pecco’ knows how to win, he is a two-time world champion. And Martín has his chance. We’ll see,” he predicted. Of course, he does not want to be involved in the fight. “In 2015 I was not in the middle and they accused me of helping someone. You cannot control these things. I will always give my one hundred percent,” he alleged.

On a personal level, he reiterated that the main objectives “have been met.” “But you always want to finish the season well and be there consistently on the podium and if I can, win a race. Let’s see what we can do. I know where I have to improve for next year and if you start now it can be a help for the following year,” he acknowledged.

“You never try to overtake thinking about hitting the other, but rather avoiding it. I will do my best to win, always trying to be careful, but as all drivers always do,” commented the driver from Cervera.