Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) (AFP)
Fabio Quartararo, who will start from pole position for MotoGP Andalusia on Sunday after having already won the first race of the season, believes that Marc Marquez is still "a rival for the title" despite his injury which forced him to forfeit .
"Of course Marc is a rival for the title. Certainly, two white results, it is difficult in this kind of championship because it will be rather short, but we know the potential of Marc. We have a good opportunity to fight for the title then we will do our best but it will certainly return to Brno (for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on August 9) in good conditions, so we have to do our best ".
Alberto Puig, manager of Marc Marquez's Honda team, said for his part that the six-time world champion and title holder "suffered too much and we decided that the best solution was to wait for Brno".
Marc Marquez broke his right arm when he crashed last Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix, the first race of the season, but he nevertheless tried to participate in the Andalusia one, contested on the same circuit in Jerez. He gave up after having played two free practice sessions on Saturday morning.
"I think a champion who has the opportunity to collect one or two points always wants to try and that's what he did," added the manager of the Japanese team.
© 2020 AFP