- Interview Marc Márquez: "I became obsessed to the point of considering withdrawal and asked myself: 'Is this risk worth it?'"
And Marc Márquez, what? Another World Cup starts tomorrow in Portimao and the question is the same as the previous season, and the other, and the other. At 30 years old, the MotoGP benchmark maintains uncertainty around. After so much time since the accident in Jerez that changed his luck it seems difficult to recover the Márquez superman, but it is still not known how far the human Márquez will go. Will he be champion again? Judging by the pre-season, not shortly.
Although his winter has been sweet, injury-free for the first time in a long time, his physique is still not what it was and his Honda is still one of the worst bikes on the grid, if not the worst. In the last tests, in fact, Márquez could only set the fourteenth fastest time, almost a second behind the Ducati riders, who will once again dominate the championship. "We are far from the best. It is a fact, it is reality. But our philosophy is to never give up," says Alberto Puig, Japanese team principal, who knows that he, the driver, the company, that everyone is at a key moment.
Tension in Honda
In recent months, including his documentary All in for Amazon Prime, Márquez has launched into a maelstrom of interviews and publicity events in which he has always been patient. He knows that Honda is not at its best – "in the first race we will fight to get into the Top 5," he acknowledged – but also that he is working to change the trend. The Japanese factory is, after all, the one with the most history and budget in the World Championship and sooner or later it will know how to adapt to the advances in aerodynamics that have given glory to Ducati. For this they have hired Ken Kawauchi, former head of Suzuki, as the new technical director and have asked for help from other manufacturers, such as the small German company Kalex. But what if they take a long time to improve?
Marquez's contract runs out next season and then he will be 31 years old; For the first time, divorce between the parties is a possible option. That's why Honda needs to offer its star a bike that can at least win races by the end of the year. And that's why Marquez also requires results that show that his problems are no longer his fault.
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Because the shoulder, the happy right shoulder, is already recovered, but... "Physically I feel very well. The goal is to be 100% by the end of March, and well, eagerly. Now I do normal training, both motorcycle and physical, "he confessed to EL MUNDO a few weeks ago. According to his team, the pain in the shoulder has disappeared, he has already recovered some of the strength, but the discomfort remains, one day and the other no. This season's exaggerated calendar, which will feature sprint races every Saturday, i.e. 42 scoring rounds for the World Championship, will not benefit him at all. And, in addition, he will be urged by his new teammate, Joan Mir, a driver seven years younger.
After Jorge Lorenzo, the brother Alex and Pol Espargaro, Mir may be the first rider since Dani Pedrosa capable of finishing some races ahead of Marquez and that will force him to force. His leadership in the ensemble and all that entails will be at stake. The former MotoGP champion in 2020 was already the fastest Honda rider in pre-season testing and seems well adapted to the bike, so the comparison will not be kind. "Joan is a champion, you don't have to explain many things to him. In addition, looking at the human side, the integration with the team has been really good, "said Puig.
A year without pressure
The only thing in Marquez's favor is low expectations. After a 2022 without victories and with a single podium, the pressure of a return of champion has disappeared and a World Cup can be considered from less to more. Adapted to his new life in La Finca de Pozuelo, his work routine and his new communication plan, much more exposed than before, and far from the tutelage of Emilio Alzamora, Márquez is in a key year in his career, but he certainly has all the room for improvement in the world.
If Honda finally gives him the tools he needs, he will want, at the very least, to finish the season fighting for wins. And if he succeeds, he will be able to secure his future and opt for his seventh MotoGP title, the crown that would equal Valentino Rossi and leave him just one shy of Giacomo Agostini's record. Now it all boils down to one question: How far can the human Marc Marquez go? From this Saturday, in Portimao, and in 42 races until November 26, in Cheste, the answer will be known.
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- Marc Marquez
- Dani Pedrosa
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- Articles Javier Sánchez