Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Alex Márquez and Xavi Vierge remain confident of a strong ending to an outstanding 2019 Moto2 season after a difficult day of qualifying at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia.

• Ninth and 11th respectively in sunny but cold conditions in the final 45-minute practice session earlier today, Márquez and Vierge were in positive mood and optimistic of delivering strong qualifying performances in Q2 this afternoon.
• Less than half-a-second covered the top 15 in an incredibly close Q2 session, with Vierge securing a place on the fourth row of the grid and newly-crowned World Champion Márquez set to launch his attack for a sixth win of the season from one row further back.

Alex Márquez 15th, 1:34.955, 25 laps, 100 km

• Comfortably inside the top 10 in FP3 with a best lap of 1:35.105, the Spaniard was confident he could improve his pace and battle for a top six place on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s 25-lap race.
• Marquez did indeed dig deep and scorch to his best lap of the weekend in Q2 and for the first time of the weekend he lapped under the 1:35 barrier.
• His lap of 1:34.955 was just over 0.3s away from the front row but starting from row five, Márquez is determined to put on a spectacular overtaking show for his fans in the final round of 2019.

“I promise I will give everything to have a strong finish to this fantastic season”

“Being honest, it is my worst day of the season. This morning in FP3 I felt we had improved in some points compared to yesterday but then I had the crash and it was difficult to understand and recover my feeling on the bike. The grip levels are not the best at this track and I just don’t have the usual confidence or feeling on the bike to show my normal potential. In braking I don’t feel in a good position to attack the corners and that is where I am losing the most time. It is clear we need to make a step forward for the race and all I can do is promise that I will give everything to have a strong race and finish this fantastic season in the best possible way.”

Xavi Vierge: 11th, 1:34.899, 25 laps, 100 km

• An impressive lap of 1.35.248 in FP3 was almost 0.8s quicker than the Spaniard’s best pace set an encouraging start to proceedings yesterday.
• Vierge made another notable leap forward in Q2 and his lap of 1:34.899 put him firmly in contention for the top six.
• In a frantic finale to the final Q2 session of the season, Vierge had to settle for 11th position on the grid, but he’s optimistic the pace he demonstrated in FP3 makes him a serious contender for the top six.

“I feel ready to fight and finish the season in a positive manner”

“Compared to yesterday we improved a lot and made a step in FP3 in terms of my pace for one fast lap. We are still missing a bit in terms of pace for the race but in Q2 I was very happy with my time and my speed was good. I was very close to the top six but I’m confident I can have a strong race. The lap times are very tight and it will be a difficult race and the key will be to see how my rivals can maintain the pace. But I feel ready to fight and finish the season in a positive manner.”