Marquez masters tricky weather conditions to earn fifth consecutive Phillip Island Pole

“Pole position today was quite difficult, and it was especially tricky to understand when it was the right time to push. The light rain that was falling wasn’t strong enough to wet the tarmac, but when you see the little drops on your visor and windscreen, things become a bit scary at this track. As soon as I realized that the drizzle had stopped, I did a good lap that was enough to be on pole for tomorrow. At the moment, I’m able to be fast and close to the top riders, but honestly speaking, I’m not feeling as comfortable as I would like. We were able to improve over the weekend and our mentality remains positive like always, but we don’t know exactly what to expect from tomorrow’s race. We saw many crashes and we crashed as well, and the weather is very unpredictable. Tyre choice will be important, as will understanding that it’s not an on-off situation—we have the Constructors and Team Championships to think of, and if it’s not possible to win, then it’s time to look for the podium.”

“It has been a very difficult day due to the track conditions and the strong wind. I didn’t have a good feeling, especially in the fast corners in the first and third sectors. I struggled to keep the wheel down on the ground; I kind of felt as if I were sailing. I couldn’t really use the corner speed, and that was a problem at this track, which is all about corner speed and lean angle. I wasn’t riding very well and did very bad in qualifying. I just hope it’s a bit less windy tomorrow and we can do better than today.”