After withdrawing from the last two rounds, in Indonesia then in Argentina, Marc Márquez finally returns to competition this weekend in Austin. Author of numerous records on the Texan circuit and the latest winner to date, the Spanish driver will above all try to regain the confidence lost during his last heavy fall during the warm-up in Mandalika.
We transcribe here the entirety of his remarks made at a press conference this Thursday.
Marc, we imagine that it was very difficult for you to suffer from diplopia again. However, your recovery was quite quick this time. You must be particularly relieved to be back in the paddock?
« It's true that the week following the race in Mandalika was particularly difficult for me, but fortunately my injury this time was less serious than the one that affected me last year [Marc Márquez had been forced to forfeit the last two rounds of the 2021 season, already due to a problem of double vision following a concussion suffered in training]. To tell the truth, I was very close to returning to Argentina last week, but I was not really motivated by the idea of taking the risk of returning so quickly. So we discussed it with the doctor, and the decision was made that I would indeed stay at home to continue to rest and train in the best possible way in anticipation of my return here. This week a final medical assessment was carried out and it turned out that my vision problem is now resolved. So we'll see what that gives. Of course I can't say that I am here in my best form, but we will still try to do good FP1 and build on that to have a good weekend. »
We didn't really have the chance to discuss your crash during the warm up in Mandalika. Can you tell us exactly what happened?
« In fact I don't really remember... The only memories I have come from media images. I have to say that the Indonesian GP was probably one of the worst GPs I have participated in in my career so far, because I really crashed too many times, and there were some accidents that I wouldn't even know not explain, especially the one I suffered during this warm up, where I had a new tire on the rear. And yet I went highside. But that’s all in the past, and now it’s time to regain some confidence. »
You put up some outstanding stats here in Austin. What state of mind are you in? Are you going to just get your bearings back on track or are you coming here to assert yourself?
« Victory is possible, but contemplating it is not the best way to approach this weekend. We were in big trouble during our last GP in Indonesia, where I really had too many crashes. I only started training normally a few days ago. The approach this weekend will mainly consist of rebuilding my confidence, we will then see what that
given. »
How do you feel at the moment about your form in Qatar at the opening of the championship?
« I have to admit that physically I feel a little better than in Qatar, but in terms of confidence it is much worse. It's something logical after a weekend as difficult as the one we experienced in Indonesia, what's more with this injury affecting my vision, which is a source of anxiety for me. »
Do you think the title is still playable? The championship leader, Aleix Espargaró, is 34 points ahead of you…
« The championship is of course something important, but I can't say that it's the priority at the moment. »
Have the doctors already given you the green light to return to the track this weekend?
« No, because I have to see them at 13:30 p.m. But there's no suspense if I'm there. It was a vision problem that I had, so I either see or I don't see. I have already been back on the bike several times and have not noticed any particular problem. We'll see how it goes over the weekend. »
Have you had time to analyze your crash in Indonesia, and in particular the role played by the tires?
« It is true that it was a heavy fall in Indonesia. I have to say that we then had problems with the rear all weekend. Nothing helped, including putting more weight on the rear. Then we put on new tires, but this put a lot of pressure on the front, which actually caused my crash in qualifying when I lost the front. During the warm up I remember we were still making adjustments to try to understand how we could improve our situation. It was an Arlesian throughout the weekend, and in the end I had this fall in a place where I did not at all expect to have an accident. Fortunately I only had this vision problem to deplore, and I was unscathed throughout the rest of my body. So even though I had to miss that race in Argentina, I felt pretty lucky after that accident. I think the reason for this fall was linked to different carcasses to which we did not adapt well. We were unable to adjust our settings for these new carcasses. It's true that during the winter tests we were very fast there, and we didn't encounter the slightest problem. But during the race weekend the situation was completely different with all these carcasses at our disposal. »
What is your approach for this weekend?
« As I said, our approach cannot be to aim for victory. I just need to regain my confidence. I really had a difficult week after Indonesia, so much so that I didn't want to race in Argentina. Now it's time to regain confidence, but if I don't feel it I'm not absolutely going to try to attack, because I could still be the target of an unexpected accident as was the case in Mandalika. »
It has been twice in a few months that you have been affected by these problems of double vision. Have the doctors told you that you may now be more susceptible to this type of lesion than in the past?
« In fact, it has been twice that I have suffered from this problem of diplopia in the space of six months. I actually asked the doctors if this pathology had any risk of becoming chronic. I even asked if I shouldn't stop running for a year. But the fact is that the impact received during my fall was enormous, and in fact if such an accident happens again, whether this weekend or in a year, it will produce the same effects. It is a nerve which is very sensitive to this type of shock which is the source of this vision problem. It's my Achilles heel, but if I'm here it's to run. I can't be here telling myself that I must not fall otherwise I will have this problem again. I know I'm taking risks, but ultimately it's my passion and I want to run, not think about my injury. »
Were you afraid of no longer being able to run after this new period of diplopia?
« What really hurt me was not the diplopia itself, but the fact that it was once again the same disorder that affected me. When I felt the first symptoms of doubling of vision, I told myself that I was leaving for another three months of convalescence, and it was something that scared me because even in everyday life this It's really not practical to have this kind of lesion. But when I went to see the doctor I already had the feeling that it was less serious than last year, and this was confirmed. The first week was difficult to live with, but already during the second it was getting better day after day. When I watched the Argentine GP from my sofa, my vision was back to normal. Now if I am here it is because my passion is greater than my suffering. I will therefore continue my path to progress and fight for the title, even if I am not immediately able to do so. For now the priority is really to regain confidence. »
You say that you did not feel ready to return from Argentina. We're not really used to hearing you say that. Do you feel more timid now?
« I think that's a pretty normal way of thinking considering I've had a lot of injuries over the last two years. I wasn't motivated to go to Argentina, but I wasn't motivated to come here to Austin either, but the people around me really pushed me to go train again. Then little by little I found motivation again and now I am ready to run. It's my first weekend back, and I think that the next one would be better because running is the passion of all of us, it's our fuel. »
This weekend we are celebrating the 500th race organized by Dorna. Which GP has had the most impact on you over the last three decades?
« There are a lot of races that stick out in my mind, but the one I remember the most is the one where Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi fought until the last corner in Catalunya in 2009. I remember every lap of this GP. »
