Marc Marquez has said that he doesn’t consider himself the fastest rider at this weekend’s Thailand Grand Prix, even though he set a new lap record during Friday’s practice session.

Returning to his winning site, Marquez showed impressive performance throughout the day, ultimately finishing first in the afternoon’s practice session. His best time, 1:29.165 on the Gresini Ducati, was enough to secure the top position, narrowly beating championship contender Jorge Martin while also breaking the previous lap record.

Following his third victory of the season in Australia last week, Marquez confidently aims to maintain his momentum and improve his qualifying performances.

However, he also believes that the practice results do not accurately reflect the competitiveness of the grid because riders like Martin may not show their full speed on Friday. “I’m pleased with how the weekend has begun; it’s important,” Marquez said. “The pace is good, but it’s not the fastest like in Australia.

“I think Martin is quicker than us, and when [Enea] Bastianini is quick on Friday, it usually means he’ll be very fast throughout the weekend. We’ll see what we can achieve.”

The promising start leaves Marquez hopeful for a strong performance in qualifying, an area where he has mostly struggled with consistency. Since the summer break, he has qualified on the front row only three times, with an average starting position of sixth.

“I know I have the potential to ride very quickly right from the start,” he added. “Earlier in the season, I would struggle on Fridays but improve significantly throughout the weekend.

“Now, I’m starting Fridays with good pace, which makes it easier to improve. I’ve already set the lap record, so if I can achieve a 1m 29.1s in qualifying, I would be satisfied.”

Marquez is trying to manage his expectations for Saturday’s qualifying session, stating he would be competitive as long as he qualifies within the first two rows.

“Everyone here is pushing hard and trying to get the best results,” he said.

“Both Martin and Pecco Bagnaia are raising the competition level, but I also have my own rivalry with Enea Bastianini, which drives me to take risks to keep up with them.

“I had a very good lap today, and it’s encouraging to start Friday like this. But tomorrow, we need to set clear, realistic goals, aiming for a position on the second row.”

Marquez now remains the only rider to have secured a Grand Prix victory on the Ducati GP23 in a season dominated by the newest GP24 models. A fourth victory would mark 2024 as his most successful season since 2019, yet Marquez still emphasizes the importance of building on his recent results to improve himself for his year with the factory Ducati team.

“Of course, more victories are better, but that’s not what people will remember in the long run,” he said.

“If I can achieve four wins, that’s better than three, but the key is to maintain the consistency I’ve shown since Austria. I’m taking a step forward and proving it at every circuit.”