Source: Supplied.

Repsol Honda’s reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez admits a decision to change from a hard to medium compound front tyre cost him of a better result in Qatar.

In the hectic moments preceding the race and with temperatures rapidly beginning to cool, Marquez switched front tyres on the grid for a medium-medium combination.

The Spaniard ran second for much of the first half, but eventually surrendered for fourth-place points in an important result for his championship tally.

“We were aware that we struggle a bit at this track, but as always we kept a positive attitude, as we also knew that if everything was in place, we could have fought for the podium or even the victory,” Marquez said. “I think we worked well over the weekend and we had everything clear for today.

“Our plan was to use the harder front compound, but the chaotic situation with the rain and the continuous delays created many doubts. In the end we decided to go with the medium front, aiming to reduce the risk of crashing, but this turned out to be our biggest mistake of the weekend.

“I struggled with the front the entire time – I couldn’t brake hard and after few laps the tyre was already wearing off. We continued to have some small issues with acceleration, but even so I had a good feeling with my bike. With that tyre choice, I wasn’t able to gain on braking. That’s my strongest point, so I decided, okay let’s finish this race and Argentina will be another race.”

Marquez dominated the race in Argentina one year ago, winning ahead of Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) by almost 10 seconds, with Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa completing the podium.