Since the Honda rider returned to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix after nine months out and in full recovery from a serious injury to his right arm, four months have passed and the current Marc Márquez is not, not even remotely, the rider that motorcycling fans were used to.
Márquez has gone from being the great ruler of the premier class, a rider who routinely won races and championships, to being, right now, a rider who mimics me in the current MotoGP squad.
Will Marc Márquez be the same as before? They asked him directly this Friday afternoon at the Red Bull Ring .
“I would tell you that that is the intention and I promise that I will try. What I cannot promise is that it will be, that is unknown”, said the eight-time world champion, showing great honesty.
“I perceive and capture the interest of the fans about my physical form, what will happen, it will be the same as before… but I know very well at the moment I am. We know how to improve it but you have to be patient , ”he warned.
“I don’t want to rush into improvements. First there is a bone that has to consolidate one hundred percent. Then we will see where I arrive and we will assess the situation. I said it in Portimao: the first thing was to get on the bike, then feel better and then go back to being the same as before”, he summarized his rehabilitation roadmap.
Having said this, Márquez wanted to clarify the meaning of ‘going back to being before’.
“Being the same as before doesn’t mean winning like before or winning many races. It means riding as instinct dictates, naturally. Then, if I win or not, we will see, the rivals improve, and the riders are stronger every year, so all this time will tell”, he resigns himself.
“I have understood that it is not a recovery that changes in a month. It is a recovery that may need a year, but now I have an acceptable level to be competitive on the track. What happens is that before I was much more competitive”.
Patience is, now, one of the virtues that the Honda man has to cultivate the most, accustomed before to living life at a thousand miles an hour.
“It is becoming less and less difficult for me to be patient. At first I wanted to improve every day, but every time I understand that I have to be calm. I am more realistic in reference to the physical state in which I find myself, and leave outside comments aside. Patience is one of the virtues that I hated before and didn’t have, but with time and experience you see that they lead you to the right path. So more patience”, in reference, also, to the fans who want to see him winning again every Sunday.
One of the novelties of the weekend on Marc’s bike was a piece on the tank to better fit the legs. One more help for your physical condition.
“The tank coupling are small aids to try to force the arm less. I’m not going to lie and say something else: it’s to try to do less force. It won’t change our lives, but if it can give us half a tenth per lap or a second at the end of the race, it’s already a lot”.
(Before continuing reading, click on the image to see all the photos of Marc Márquez at the 2021 MotoGP Austrian GP)
During FP2, Márquez overtook Joan Mir. The Suzuki man said that the maneuver had been a bit on the limit and that he had been surprised as it was only an FP2.
“It wasn’t a maneuver either… I don’t know!” Marc said surprised.
“He came two seconds faster and I passed him normal, I made my line and the time was good. I have respected him the whole lap and until I have seen him clearly I have not passed him. It has not been sought or effort, it came faster and I have passed it, without further ado, ”he settled the issue.
For Márquez , who missed the atypical 2020 season due to injury, this is the first one-two finish running twice on the same track consecutively, something that allows him to have his own references, not from other drivers.
“The sensations are also marked by the other riders. Today we have tried things, it is a pity that it has rained since this will complicate our work tomorrow”, he said.
“We are working for the future and we have to risk a bit. Tomorrow I will go out with two different bikes from last weekend to test parts. And that in an FP3 can penalize us a lot when it comes to passing or not to Q2, but it is necessary. It’s not ideal, but we have to try it. We are working to understand things for the future”, insisted the one from Cervera .
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