Marquez eyes good show in Mugello

Marc Marquez would be hoping to continue the winning streak in Mugello. Image: Repsol Honda Media

Bengaluru, May 29: After extending his winning streak to three with his triumph at the FrenchGP in Le Mans last week, MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez heads to Mugello for the Italian GP brimming with confidence.

The Repsol Honda rider has fond memories of the Tuscan circuit as it is the scene of his first Grand Prix win, way back in 2010.

Marquez arrives in Mugello with a handy 36-point lead ahead of Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales in the FIM MotoGP World Championship.

✊🏼 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/VtSPK4Dt4z
— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) May 29, 2018

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Johann Zarco is a further point adrift in the standings.

All eyes will be on Valentino Rossi, who took his first podium of the season in Le Mans. The Yamaha rider, who is fourth is standings will rely heavily on his local knowledge of the conditions.

Marquez is also likely to be challenged by team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who will be looking to enjoy a better weekend at the Tuscan track after a challenging start to the season. The Spaniard will also be hoping his physical condition has improved further since the French GP.

Marquez has been victorious at Mugello in all three classes -2014 in MotoGP, 2011 in Moto2, and 2010 in 125cc (his first GP win in career). The 25-year-old also scored a second-place result in 2016, and he has two pole positions as he hopes to maintain his good run in the track.

"It's good to go to Mugello with an advantage in the Championship, but we're still in the early phase of the season and everything is very tight, so we must keep our feet well on the ground. We had a test at Mugello before the French GP and were able to be fast and very consistent. That's good of course, but you always have to wait and see what situation you're in when you start working for the race," said the Spaniard.

Despite being in red hot form, Marquez is not taking anything for granted though, "There are always question marks regarding tyres, setup, temperatures, and so on. For instance, conditions will probably be warmer this weekend compared to when we tested, so we'll just keep concentrating to try and manage well the usual ups and downs of preparing for a race," he added.

The race will be held at 2pm local time on Sunday (5.30pm IST).

(With Honda inputs).