Marquez: I crash less, but save more

This time last year, MotoGP champion Marc Marquez had fallen eleven times and went on to finish the season with 23 spills - more than any other premier-class rider, even without taking into account his many miraculous saves.

The year before, Marquez fell 27 times.

But so far this season the Repsol Honda rider has hit the ground on just six occasions - all in the opening five rounds - putting him on course to challenge his lowest crash tally of eleven falls during the 2014 campaign.

"Last year I had new leathers every time, because I crashed every weekend!" Marquez joked after his Sachsenring victory. "This year, I crashed in the Montmelo test but in a race weekend, since Le Mans, I don’t crash.

"It's another statistic I try to improve."

The numerous saves caught on camera this season (pictured) prove Marquez is still taking risks, so what has changed compared to last year?

"It looks like from outside - and from riders like Cal that have tried other bikes - that [the Honda] is not the easiest bike," Marquez explained, before citing chassis changes, engine performance, calmness and concentration as the key differences for 2019.

"Looks like this year about the chassis, maybe we’re losing in some points [turning] but we gain in other points, which were my critical points. Also it looks like we have more engine, so we can try to be a little bit safer in the braking area.

"It's all about being able to concentrate. If you are concentrate very, very much on the bike, then you can save many crashes. I crash less this year, but you count how many saves I did.

"For that reason, I crash less, but I save more."

"He had six this weekend [at Sachsenring]. If you look at the video, he crashed six times," quipped LCR's Cal Crutchlow. "If it was me or anyone else, we would have crashed six times. He saved six times."

"It’s true," Marquez added. "In the first corner I saved three or four times, but it’s like this if you concentrate.

"For example, in the Montmelo test I was not 100% concentrated and I just lose the front and I crash. Because I was not focused enough.

"This is the way to ride the Honda and to find the limit and to be the fastest."

And how has the five-time MotoGP champion improved his concentration relative to previous years?

"It's the experience. It's the atmosphere inside the team, all these things help," he replied.

"I don't mean that last year or two years ago I was not concentrating. But when you are concentrating, when you have more experience and when you understand that it’s not necessary to be 100% in every lap of practice, then this helps a lot.

"I try to be calmer in practice."

Also helping Marquez stay calm will be the commanding 58-point title lead over Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso...