Brazilian MotoGP track needs 'full resurfacing' after 'unacceptable conditions'

Alex Marquez has seen a lot during his near-250 grand prix starts, but the Gresini Ducati rider still labelled Sunday's Brazilian MotoGP race "strange" and "unacceptable".

A weekend of surface issues culminated in the MotoGP race being cut from 31 to 23 laps at the last moment due to "track degradation".

"It was really strange, with fewer laps, not easy conditions," Alex Marquez said.
"Between corners 10, 11, all the asphalt was coming out, with all the stones, all this.

"So, quite unacceptable the conditions that we have today, honestly speaking. But it's like it is, I will race, and it was still a great show [for the fans]."

Summing up the positives and negatives of Brazil’s first event since 2004, the Spaniard said: “Positives, the people, and the layout is really nice.

“Negatives… The meteorology didn't help, but it's true that today, the asphalt was coming out… I think they will need to resurface everything.”

Marquez agreed with Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder that the reduced distance should have been accompanied by a short start delay to allow all riders the chance to make strategy and tyre changes.

"I think it was better to make a start delay so everybody was able to prepare in the same time or change the tyres, but at the moment, everything was done!” he said.

“But it was like it is, the medium rear was not bad, and I think even if I'd changed the rear medium to the soft, the result could be the same."

Marquez rose from eighth to sixth on the opening lap, a position he ultimately finished in after losing a late battle with Ai Ogura on the Trackhouse Aprilia.

"It was not a bad race for us, we tried just to survive, especially with the front tyre," he said. "I just tried to be calm and arrive until the end with [good front tyre] life.

"In the last lap, Ogura overtook me with a really nice block pass, honestly speaking. I tried my best, but it was not easy. But, apart from everything, I think we did a small step in our feeling… it was not a bad race."

After scoring his first points of the season in Brazil, the reigning title runner-up heads to this weekend's round at COTA holding eighth in the world championship.

Returning team-mate Fermin Aldeguer finished eighth in Brazil.