Alex Márquez lands in Barcelona after scoring his second consecutive victory of the season at Mugello. Xavi Vierge does so with the motivation to produce a great performance in front of his fans.

• The MotoGP World Championship returns to Spain for the seventh round of the calendar at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. This will be the 28th MotoGP World Championship event to be held on this track, 24 of which have come under the title of Grand Prix of Catalonia.
• After Alex Márquez's victory at Mugello, Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS returns to Barcelona where a few weeks ago they carried out a private test to prepare for the Grand Prix.
• With the base set-up settled and a good feeling established by Márquez and Vierge during the test, Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS hopes to continue adding good results in what is the home Grand Prix for its two riders.

Circuit information:

. Length: 4627 metres
. Width: 12 metres
. Curves: 14 (8 to the right; 6 to the left)
. Longest straight: 1047 metres
. Circulation direction: Clockwise
. Race distance: 22 laps

. Last winner: Fabio Quartararo

Moto2 timetable (mainland time):

Friday:
FP1: 10h55
FP2: 15h10

Saturday:
FP3: 10h55
Q1: 15h05
Q2: 15h30

Sunday:
WU: 9h10
RACE: 12h20
 

Alex Márquez:

• After completing a magnificent performance to win the race in Mugello, Alex Márquez won added 25 valuable points that catapulted him to second place in the general classification. He is currently just two points behind leader Lorenzo Baldassarri.
• The number 73 knows what it's like to win in Barcelona having done so twice before. His first win came in 2014 in Moto3 and the second in 2017 with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in Moto2. In both races he won from Pole Position.
• Last year Márquez crossed the finish line in fifth place after starting from second on the grid.

“I am very motivated and here it will be very important to manage the nerves well”

“We at my home Grand Prix on a circuit that is very special to me. Luckily, it's a track that adapts very well to my riding style and where I've won in both Moto2 and Moto3. Apart from the fact that I like it and I'm good at it, I always have the support of the fans here. It is an extra motivation and a very important plus, but it will be very important to manage the nerves here. We arrive at this Grand Prix after two consecutive victories and in a very good shape, which after all is the most important thing because the championship is very long. We are only in the seventh race, so we must keep our patience and build on recent success. A few weeks ago we did a test here and got a good base for this race but as it will be quite hot, we will have to look for some extra adjustments to the set-up.”

Xavi Vierge:

• Xavi Vierge crossed the finish line in twelfth position in the Italian Grand Prix and currently occupies eleventh position in the overall standings with 31-points.
• The number 97 and his team are working hard to keep evolving. Once the rear grip problem was solved in Mugello he turned his attention to working on riding style and specifically on improving the corner entry.
• Xavi's best result on the Catalan track so far is the fifth position he finished in last year, which is a result he aspires to improve in front of his fans.

“We are fighting hard to get things right”

“It's the home Grand Prix and the most special for me. It is very close to home and many family and friends will come to see me and support me. No doubt that strength is noticeable and more in a year like this in which we are fighting hard to get things to go well. I am very motivated and eager because we are working hard and there is no better scenario than this one where we can reap the fruits of the effort sown. It's a track that I love because it's very varied, with lots of undulation, blind corners and very technical parts. You really enjoy riding here. The objective is to try to be in the top five in all the sessions and for Sunday to be able to fight for the podium.”