Márquez will have to be the miracle kid again at Sepang

Repsol rider Marc Márquez, physically badly weakened, completed only three laps in the timed session in which he set the minimum time needed to qualify 36th for tomorrow’s grid.

Managing his physical condition to the limit, Marc Márquez barely completed three laps on the second day of practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Despite the negligence of the track marshals at the Sepang Circuit, which yesterday caused him a frightening crash, the Repsol rider still qualified for tomorrow’s race. Despite the discomfort he still feels in his neck and left shoulder, Márquez completed a single full lap under the minimum time required by the organisation and will be on the grid tomorrow.

This comes after two days of practice in which he completed only three full laps of the circuit at Sepang, trying to rest and recover from the heavy blow he suffered on his first lap of yesterday’s practice. Márquez did not complete the first session, went back to the hotel to rest during the second session yesterday, and did not get back on the bike in this morning’s third free practice session either.

In the timed session, the Repsol rider suited up and, after a warm-up lap, completed his only full lap of the weekend before returning to his garage and bringing his practice to an end. Márquez set a single fast lap of 2 minutes, 12 seconds and 864 thousandths, securing 36th place on tomorrow’s grid. Now he must rest and assess tomorrow morning whether his physical condition allows him to face the demanding race that awaits him at Sepang.

Statements from Emilio Alzamora:

It has been a difficult day, because we hoped Marc [Márquez] would wake up better this morning, but that was not the case. We simply need to keep people calm, since the short time between the crash and practice leaves almost no margin for recovery, and the neck area is still bothering him. We thought he might feel more comfortable on the bike today, so we decided he should go straight into the official session to see how he felt and then assess the situation.

We knew that if he could set a fast lap and qualify for the grid, tomorrow we could see whether he feels better over the rest of today and tonight. He took a hard blow, but nothing serious, so he simply needs to keep recovering. We will have to wait until tomorrow to make a decision.

Source | Repsol Media Service