Marc Marquez ha concluso la giornata di pre-qualifiche al Red Bull Ring in quarta posizione, assicurandosi un posto diretto in Q2. Nonostante un inizio complicato, il pilota spagnolo si è mostrato fiducioso nei progressi del team: “Acosta is the favourite, but this isn’t our fight.”
Marquez ha parlato a lungo di Pedro Acosta, sottolineando come il connazionale sia ancora in piena corsa per il Campionato del Mondo: “He must be really strong, given that he’s still in the running for the World Championship. Right now I don’t have the pace to win, but we’re working on it.”
Il pilota Ducati si è concentrato sul lavoro svolto durante la giornata: “We worked hard. We actually improved our confidence from the first lap to the last, as well as our riding style. But I have to say that the setup of the bike must be adapted to the new rear tire. The bike behaves very differently compared to last year, so we still have a lot of work to do.”
Marquez ha poi evidenziato come le sensazioni siano state migliori su pneumatici usati: “Today I was able to do a 1'29.8 after 17 laps on the same tires, so I'm happy.”
Riguardo all’incidente del fratello Alex, Marquez ha dichiarato di non aver visto l’accaduto, ma ha confermato che il pilota è fisicamente in buone condizioni. Ha infine espresso soddisfazione per il ritorno in pista del pilota di motocross Guillem Farres: “I’m happy for him. He’s a really talented rider with great technique. I’m sure he’ll do great things.”
Sulla forza di Acosta, Marquez ha aggiunto: “I expect so, especially since this isn’t the first time KTM has been this strong here. They’ve always been competitive on this track.”
In conclusione, il pilota spagnolo ha ribadito che la giornata di venerdì è servita principalmente per spingere e migliorare: “It was a Friday where we had to push, because if we didn’t push, we would be in 10th or 12th place. We have to improve.”
E sul confronto diretto con Acosta, ha chiosato con una battuta: “It’s not our fight.”
KTM CEO Neumeister on Acosta’s Departure
In a separate development, KTM CEO Gottfried Neumeister revealed that there was no financial offer that could keep Pedro Acosta with the team, as the Spanish rider wanted to challenge Marc Marquez on equal terms.
Acosta, who signed a contract with Ducati replacing Pecco Bagnaia, made it clear that his ambition was to measure himself against Marquez with the same equipment.
Speaking to the media, Neumeister said: “I’m really very sorry, and I tried. And it’s not a secret. I tried personally to convince him to stay. But there’s nothing you can do, there’s no money you can pay if a rider wants to have a new challenge.”
He added that Acosta had a specific goal in mind: “He says: ‘I want to beat Marc with the same weapon.’ You can only have respect for that.”
Despite Acosta’s departure, Neumeister expressed confidence in the future of the KTM team, highlighting the presence of Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio as key components of their project.