MOTOGP: Marquez tried different riding style

Marc Marquez says MotoGP's switch to Michelin tires did prompt him to try to adopt a smoother riding style during pre-season testing.

Marquez's aggressive style worked on the previous Bridgestone rubber when his Honda obliged, winning 24 races and two titles across his first three seasons. The tires for Michelin's return to MotoGP after a seven-year absence were expected to favour smoother riders, which prompted Marquez to try to adjust his style, only to end up back where he began.

"During the pre-season I was thinking a lot about riding style, trying to find another way to ride with Michelin and all of these things," the championship leader said. "Also the balance of the bike didn't feel great, so I tried to change many, many things.

"But in the end, when I felt well on the bike – the first time in the last day of pre-season [testing in Qatar] – I tried to use again my normal riding style. Some slides, I tried to control these slides, because if not I will overheat the tires.

"In the end, when a rider feels comfortable with the bike and everything is working well, it comes naturally. Your style is one [style] and you cannot change.

"I always have an aggressive style, sliding a lot, but in the end, OK, you can improve in terms of the condition of the track, but it comes natural."

The change in rubber has, though, required a natural readjustment at each circuit. Marquez cited that he had to reprogramme his brain upon arriving at Circuit of The Americas as an example.

"Always, you try to control the limit," be said. "But the thing is that the people always arrive at a circuit, and have the reference, the setup from last year. We must understand that this year it's different tires and the riding style is different.

"Of course I arrived [at COtA] and on the first day I was braking on the same point like on Bridgestone and I was not able to stop the bike. We must understand that this tire works in a different way and have some worse points and some points that are much better."

Originally on Autosport.com