Márquez: "I was never so bad before the start of the World Cup"

With the change of the calendar year, that of Honda , who, as he himself said, seemed to have “looked at him one-eyed”, the good news began to accumulate. From the outset, he was able to travel to Malaysia to take part in the first pre-season tests of this 2022, after finally leaving behind the vision problems that he had been carrying since the end of last season.

And there, in Sepang, he found a bike that, despite being a real revolution compared to the previous year’s model, soon brought out its strengths.

In Mandalika , where next Sunday a season of only five days of testing will close, Marc Márquez will continue on his way, circulating through it a little slower than usual, to try to recover the physique that characterizes him, and that now limits you so much. In fact, as he himself acknowledged when he got off the bike on Sunday, his lack of training conditions him even more than his shoulder, the one that made him go through a real ordeal after that crash in Jerez (2020) in which he broke his humerus .

This Tuesday, Honda carried out the official presentation of its first team, and the multi-champion reviewed the three topics that are currently linked to him: the motorcycle, his physical form and his aspirations.

“Since I’ve been at Honda there has never been such a big change in the bike in general. In addition, it has occurred at my worst moment. Let’s see if we can take off; that’s the goal,” summed up the #93, who in Sepang He finished with the eighth best time, just two tenths from the fastest (Enea Bastianini), and with a good taste in his mouth.

For the one from Cervera (Lleida), the change of concept of the RC213 is more than justified, especially due to the lack of results in the last two years (three wins and seven podiums in total).

“In Honda, and in any factory, until there is a drought of results, a big change does not take place. Last year, without having the best bike, I won three races. All the riders agree on the comments, so that the change is positive”, deepened Márquez, who will return to the track on Friday.

There the workload will increase a little – it will be three days instead of two – in a completely unprecedented scenario for the entire grid, and for which there is hardly any data. On the horizon, an idea: win again. Yes, with your feet on the ground.

“A person must be convinced towards their goal. But I don’t see myself now doing a race like the one in Jerez in 2020, in which I came back from 20th place to second. It will be difficult for us to reach a race and sweep, but we are going to work”, promised the Catalan, whose mind only happens to leave his soul to see himself again in the brawl for the title. “I am forced to say it [that he will fight for the World Cup] because that is what I feel and think. But I was never so bad before facing a World Cup. We started motivated and we are going to go race by race. Now I am not here to win, nor to be on the podium in the first race (Qatar, March 6). But little by little we will try to improve to be able to fight for the title at the end. The light at the end of the tunnel shines brighter every day,” the Honda rider clinched.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team