Alberto Puig “The target is to win, but a podium is very good.”

The eighth round of the World Championship was bittersweet for Repsol Honda. Márquez got the most out of a difficult Dutch TT, claiming a positive podium that allowed him to extend his lead in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Jorge Lorenzo was injured in practice and will not be able to ride at the next event on the calendar, which takes place this weekend in Germany.

[Question] What was the strategy for the Dutch GP?

[Answer] The strategy was a bit uncertain because we chose a tire that theoretically we were not sure about, but the rider thought it was the best option for him and finally he was right. It’s true that we didn’t have the pace needed to win, but with this soft tire he could keep the pace for the podium. So finally we are happy.

The target is always to win, but in cases where you cannot win, a podium is very good, especially under these circumstances. Some tracks don’t suit your bike perfectly, so on those days you have to survive and get the maximum you can.

[Q] Positive points and negative points after race?

[A] Obviously the negative is Lorenzo’s crash and all the problems. We feel very sorry for him and we only hope he has a speedy recovery. We wait for him. The positive is that we leave Assen with more points in the riders and constructors championship and a great lead in both.

[Q] The view from pit wall during race?

[A] We knew that Yamaha was going to be strong but we always have full confidence in our rider. It was not going to be easy. We knew in the last laps Marc had to survive because his tire was softer, but he was clever enough to understand it. We are only really sad for what happened with Jorge, but for the championship situation we are happy and now we go to Germany to try more.

[Q] Inside story apart from official comments?

[A] It’s been a very special weekend for Honda, starting with an incredible unveiling of the RC142, NSR500 and RC213V together with legends such as Takahashi, Spencer, Doohan and Márquez. I think the most emotional was seeing in track the old RC142 with Takahashi-san on it, it was really really impressive.

It’s a memory, the starting point of this amazing story. We saw that bike and then with the Moto3 team running the same colors, it was nice for Honda too. I think the fans enjoyed and we are really proud to celebrate the 60th Anniversary in Assen.