MotoGP title contenders speak ahead of German Grand Prix

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round nine – Sachsenring

Jorge Martin

How confident are you going into this week after the double win here last year?

“I think I’m a better rider than last season and I think the level this season is better than last year. In Assen I saw and felt that I was racing perfectly and I think it will be interesting here and it will be a big challenge to fight with Pecco and Marc who I think will be really strong. But I feel confident and strong because last season was great here because I won both the Sprint and Sunday and I feel that I can repeat that, let’s see“ .

How much are you looking forward to the fight with Marc this weekend?

“I’m looking forward to this challenge and I remember last season before the race, I watched his (Marc Marquez) videos from previous years, so I thought he helped me win last season but I don’t think he will do it this season.“ .

Francesco Bagnaia

Is such dominance possible at the Sachsenring?

“We will definitely try but last year was a very good race on Sunday but we didn’t have the chance to win against Jorge because in the last few laps he was very defensive and it was difficult for me to overtake him, so it was interesting. I wasn’t at 100% last year and was a little sore after my crash in Le Mans but I remember the potential was very high and I think our bike is perfect for this track and we can have a good fight again“ .

How much chance do you think Marc has?

“I think he has the potential to fight for the win because we know how good he is on left-handed tracks, so I think the competition will be very high and it’s important to understand that as quickly as possible by being able to track him at some point during the week and see what we can do.“ .

Marc Marquez

Is this your best chance to win your first Gresini?

“We’ll see, our predictions are better than our predictions last Thursday in Assen but I predict if I can have a perfect weekend with a step in the right direction then maybe I’ll have a chance to fight at the front with these two guys who are one step ahead and in Pecco’s case two steps ahead of the others. So we’ll try and do our best and see. The fact that we’re at Sachsenring will give me a chance to fight at the front with these two guys.“

Do you think you need to be at your best at Sachsenring to beat these two guys?

“Yeah of course I mean like I said if I want to have a chance I need to run perfect like I have done in the past but in the past when we came here we were competing at every track and then I made the difference but now they are faster at every track so let’s see if I have the pace to fight them because it’s not going to be an easy week like some people have said“ .

Fabio Di Giannantonio

After 15 consecutive top 10 finishes, do you think you can take the top spot?

“We definitely have good momentum and we’re really fast and have developed a lot this season and our target is to get close to them. We showed in Assen that our pace is really good but there’s definitely still a gap between the 24 and 23 cars but I think we’re doing really well and I think if we can make another step in the right direction and then we can join the fight for the podium and get close to them.“ .

Can you tell us what your current situation is and what your options are?

“I’m in a different situation to last year which I’m very grateful for because it means we’ve done really well in the winter and this season. I know what I want for next year and I’m still deciding what’s best for my career. I’m looking for a project that I can be the head of so I’ll be talking this weekend and over a few days next week I’ll make my decision because it’s hard to make a decision about the future during a race week, but we’re really close to finalising a deal.“

Is it just a choice between the VR46 or is there a Pramac Yamaha option?

“I have a clear plan A, then a plan B, but we also have a plan C, so I’m pretty open and I think this weekend will make things clearer but we’ll do it.“ .

Alex Marquez

You have just signed a new two-year contract with Gresini, how happy are you with this news?

“I’m really happy to be extending my contract for two years because I only had this plan in mind when they saved my career in MotoGP™ two years ago and I feel really comfortable in this team and really appreciate it. Nadia and I have a really good relationship so it’s clear to me that my main goal is to continue here. We know where we need to be and we’ve struggled a bit this year but I think with some small changes we’ll get the results we need to get“ .

Do you think you can consistently fight in the top six?

“I’m happy that we showed our speed many times, we just need to find a little more to do it consistently because in some situations I struggled with this bike more than usual so we need to find a little step to always be there. When I had new tyres and needed to get a fast lap time we could do it but at the end of the race we struggled so with some small changes we will try and hopefully find something“ .

Fabio Quartararo

What do you think the potential of this pack is this weekend and will you be using the new engine again?

“Yes, we will use the new engine, but as I said, this layout is not the best for us considering the problems we are facing. But the goal is to do our best and try to achieve the best possible result“ .

Is Pramac Yamaha the reason you decided to stay for another two years?

“There are a lot of things we talked about during the negotiations like having a full factory satellite team which I think will help us a lot and improve our test team and a lot of other things that will come in the year. But this is something that is extremely important to us.“

Who do you want to see at Pramac Yamaha?

“The guy on my right (Di Giannantonio). I think Fabio could be someone who could do a good job for Yamaha and I think in the last 10 months he has done a good job. I think we need a rider like him to improve our project and I think a new rider could be a good idea.“ .

Are you thinking of a rookie?

“I think Garcia and Lopez are really fast names in Moto2 and they could earn their place in a team like Pramac, which isn’t really a satellite team but more like an extension of a factory team.“

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2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship Schedule (Updated)