In the final stretch of the session, Marquez increased his pace and managed the best time of the day, with a 1.36.90 from his last lap. However, his performance was counteracted by an incident with Simone Corsi.
At turn 10 of the Valencia track, both riders touched when Márquez tried to pass the Italian on the inside. Subsequently, Race Direction sanctioned the Repsol rider, who will start Sunday’s race from last position on the grid.
“The day went rather well; we felt good in the wet and in the end we were able to ride in almost dry conditions” said Marc Márquez. “There were some wet areas, but none which stopped you from going fast. In both conditions we had a good base setting, which is the important thing. We still need to set out a few details, so we will see how the conditions are tomorrow and Sunday. I have to congratulate the Ricardo Tormo circuit for the relaying of the asphalt.
“Regarding the incident with Simone Corsi, I had already overtaken other riders on that corner and I hadn’t thought about him being one of the later brakers in the class. I passed him on the inside and then felt a touch, which was totally involuntary. I immediately looked around to see how he was and, when I saw that he had crashed, I became very worried.
I went to apologise to him after the session, he understood and the most important thing is that he wasn’t hurt. I publically apologise once again. Later, Race Direction decided to send me to the back of the grid on Sunday, and I can do little more than respect their decision.”
