MotoGP World Championship leader and pole sitter Marc Marquez said that he took risks he didn’t need as he gambled on slick tyres, to take pole position from Jack Miller by over two and a half seconds in Brno.

The Spaniard put it all on the line for two stunning laps in wet conditions which saw him not only claim the pole position, but did so by over two and a half seconds from Jack Miller, who himself gambled on slick tyres, crashing out in the rain at the final corner.

Whilst delighted with the pole position, Marquez said that with a 58-point lead in the World Championship, it was probably a risk he didn’t need to take.

“I’m very happy to be on pole position, with the adrenaline and everything,” said the 26-year-old.

“But after I analyse the situation and I take a risk I do not need to. I already see in Parc Ferme that some members of the team were very happy, but the important ones, the ones who push me more, were angry, because I take too much risk.

“The target was the front row, not the pole position. Of course, it’s important, but the target was done. But the team did an amazing job with the strategy. There were prepared with the second bike all the mechanics in the correct position.

“And then I go out and the people was is started to rain, couple of bit of rain on the screen and the visor, but the chance was there and the decision was there and I tried to do my one hundred percent. Lucky for me pole position, but I feel much, much better because I didn’t crash, and this is the most important.”

Despite being in such a comfortable position in the World Championship, Marquez couldn’t help but risk it all for the pole position, something the Spaniard said is in his very nature.

“From when I was young it was already one of my weak points to believe too much or try too much, sometimes it’s not necessary, but this is my character and in the end my base is this one,” he said.

“But then it’s important to have people around you who try to give some items or some good things to your style and then I must listen to them. But it was my decision the slick one, but when I am on the bike, it’s my character is try to push and try to have this kind of ambition.

“But I need to think about the championship, and next week we have another race, but today is done. It’s experience but it’s done and finished in a good way.”
With all of Saturday’s sessions providing no valuable data for what is expected to be a dry race, Marquez believes that the morning warm up will be key to help decide what tyres to use and how to set up his RC213V.

“Obviously we didn’t have time and obviously tomorrow will be a big question mark tomorrow for everybody with tyres and race pace and grip of the track and this will be the most difficult thing,” said Marquez.

“Our target is to try and be on the podium after this crazy weekend, with weather conditions. But this will be the most important. Then if we can have a dry warm up this will be a big help for everybody.”

Early on in the qualifying session, Marquez came close to Alex Rins, with the Suzuki man aggressively overtaking Marquez with the Honda man going slow on the racing line. This continued to the pit lane when both Marquez and Rins came in together. With Rins drifting right, Marquez pushed Rins ever so slightly to avoid the tyre wall.

Rins, however, wasn’t best pleased, saying that Marquez, “has no respect for other riders”, when asked about it, Marquez said with a chuckle: “Yes, if he thinks this, but my target is the championship and my target today was the pole. Of course, I don’t agree with this, but that’s okay, that’s his option and my target is another one.

“I went wide on turn five and then Jack overtook me because I check behind and he overtook me, then Jack overtook me and I tried to follow Jack because I knew he had a good pace on wet tyres in FP4.

“Then on turn seven I went a little bit too wide, there was a small space, but enough, and he overtook me, with contact but this is racing. The funny thing is when we go into the box, the tyres there and I didn’t have the space because he was going on that way, I don’t know if intentionally, but was just not important.

“My target was the pole position and my target was the front row and I loose zero time on these kind of things.”