Australian MotoGP: Top 5 quotes after race
Marc Marquez takes a momentous victory at dry Phillip Island
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
| Pos. | # | Rider | Bike | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 93 |  Marc Marquez |
Honda | 40'49.772 |
| “It was such an amazing race, I think we put on a fantastic show for the fans! I’m very happy, as I knew that today was important. Dovi was struggling a little this weekend, while I was feeling really good on the bike and had to make the best of it. When the race started I was thinking I had to stay calm and manage the tyres, but then Zarco hit me and I realized it was going to be a battle. I was in a group of fighters. I knew I had to push and defend, but also to attack. So I just tried to control the situation and then, with around eight laps to go, I just gave it my all. I pushed really hard for three or four laps and that was it. I’m happy with the win of course, but even more with going to Malaysia with a 33 point advantage!” | ||||
| 2 | 46 |  Valentino Rossi |
Yamaha | 1.799 |
| “I enjoyed the race very much. This track is unbelievable and it was a great race! All the riders in front were very aggressive, so you need to be more 'stupid', more aggressive, than they are. It was a great battle with Zarco, Iannone, Marquez and Viñales. I wanted to try the maximum to be on the podium. In the end I'm in second place and I'm very happy. I want to say thanks to all my team, they always work very hard, and thanks to all of Yamaha.” | ||||
| 3 | 25 | Maverick Viñales |
Yamaha | 1.826 |
| “I had planned on attacking with five laps to go. On the previous lap, I had already overtaken Johann and tried to overtake Valentino at the last part of the straight, but I went wide. I had a moment with Johann on the outside and then went towards Andrea. I lost my race there, but in the end I recovered really well. I started to overtake the other riders fast and, honestly, I was quite far back from where I needed to be in the last corner, but the bike accelerated really well and I even thought I could pass Valentino. In the end he was a bit too far ahead, but I‘m still really happy. The team was working really well and especially this morning in the rain I felt great and that‘s a good starting point for Malaysia. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend, especially on the soft tyre. The championship challenge is gone, this is not good news, but we already knew all season it was going to be difficult, especially during the second part. We have to try to be strong, as always, and try to be on the podium again in Malaysia. I want to recover some points to Andrea, which is important. We‘re going to try to make the bike work and try to have one of our strongest weekends.” | ||||
| 4 | 5 |  Johann Zarco |
Yamaha | 1.842 |
| “It was an amazing race today in Australia and I am so happy that I could fight for the victory but Marquez broke away at the end, yet I still managed to lead the Grand Prix. After the tricky start, where I had to close the throttle to avoid touching someone, I lost a lot of positions. However, I was strong and I then overtook many riders and it was an amazing feeling. I had some moments on the track that I thought I would never live in my life so it was very good to take this experience. I could also analyse my rivals and see how they were so fast. On the last lap, I was running in 3rd and trying to get 2nd, and I attempted to overtake Rossi at the final corner on the acceleration. I changed my line to pass him and instead of 2nd, I finished 4th. It's a big shame to miss out on the podium but I need to enjoy what I achieved today.” | ||||
| 5 | 35 |  Cal Crutchlow |
Honda | 3.845 |
| “Obviously it was a better result and race than in qualifying. I felt quite good and confident in the race and I was being very patient to be able to try and come towards the podium at the end of the race. The problem was that after about five or six laps there was a small gap to the leaders and I had to push a lot and use a lot of the rear tyre at that moment of the race. But I think that fifth is not a bad result considering that we had a massive crash this morning. It’s one of the biggest high-sides of my career out of turn six and to be able to ride in this shape was good as I was really contemplating not being able to ride with the advice of the doctors and my team. But I tried my best and I think it was a good result considering, although I’m disappointed not repeat my win from last year because I think if we’d have had a little bit better weekend we could have been right up there. But what a great fight, what a great show in the MotoGP race at Phillip Island today.” | ||||
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