MotoGP Austria Exceptional Conference Marc Márquez: An important problem, always doubts, secrets with his brother, etc. (Entirety)

This Thursday August 18, 2022, Marc Márquez exceptionally answered questions from journalists from the Red Bull Ring circuit ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Still convalescing after his fourth operation on his right arm, the Honda driver is not in Austria to ride, but to get involved in the work of his team. He will do the same in Misano.

As usual, we report here the words of Marc Márquez without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.

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At Mugello, before you left, you said that you were perhaps going to undergo the last chance operation. How do you feel now?
Marc Marquez : " Hello everyone ! Happy to be here, of course! At Mugello I of course informed you of my decision and it seems that now everything is going in the right direction but I know that this decision was very important, because as I told you this decision could end my career . It seems like everything is going in the right direction but that's why I take care, or the doctors take care, of all the steps. We are going slowly but surely because we know how important this recovery is. But to be honest, I feel pretty good even though my arm ended up having four operations. It's an arm that has received four operations and we are of course working to adapt in the best way. But at least now it functions in a normal way and I can now do exercises that were impossible before. But I will have an important exam next week, a CT scan and X-rays which will help to understand if I can increase the weight (strength) and if so when I can increase the weight. When I ride a motorcycle for the first time in the future, I will immediately understand at that moment whether this is enough or not. But for now we are optimistic because I am increasing the workload every week and the arm is responding well. »

In the HRC press release, you said you stay in touch with your team. Do you think HRC has lost a bit of direction in 2020?
« Yes. You obviously see that Honda is having a difficult time this season. Not just one pilot, all pilots! And when all the pilots are having a difficult time, it means that the project is not in its best period. But it is true, as I said in Mugello, I had the experience with the 2020/2021 bike when I went a long time without coming to the circuits, and in that period I disconnected too much and when I came back everything was too new. So this time I try to keep in touch a lot with Santi (Hernández) and Stefan Bradl, and in particular with my team. Of course, my brother also rides a Honda, but I prefer to maintain this close relationship with my team and with engineers. One of the reasons I'm here is not to see the bikes on the track, but to talk with Honda, to talk with the engineers. Of course, I can't decide what we should do, but I want to be involved in the project, because when we are in a difficult moment, everyone has to go in the same direction. When we are in a difficult time, it is impossible for one person to make a difference. Teamwork is most important right now, and that's what we're doing. »

Regarding your recovery, can you describe what you did after the operation, what you are doing now is what you are going to do before getting back on a motorcycle?
« After the operation, I didn't move my arm for the first five or six weeks. The doctors, and I completely agreed, moved forward in a conservative way, in a way where they tried to take care of all these things, and if we had to take another week, that was better. than being too optimistic. So for the first six weeks I was completely at rest then the next two weeks I started moving my arm with the physio. Then the last four weeks I started working with the elastic a little and now I'm starting to increase the weight a little until next week when I will be examined by the doctors. They will then decide if I can push more or not, and if they allow pushing more, then that will be the time when we make a plan and we will immediately understand when I will return. I don't know. One thing is bone, the other thing is all muscle. But I am aware of the importance of this rehabilitation and if I have to wait another week, I will wait. It's true that when I feel at 70 or 80% and I feel that I can ride a MotoGP in a fairly good way, I will come back, because the best way to do the last part of the rehabilitation is to being on the bike. You can't wait until you're 100% before riding a motorcycle.
Everything is still to be decided but we are taking care of all these things. »

What does the Honda need?
« That's an interesting question. It's true that I haven't tried the last pieces. I haven't tried the last parts of the bike but I rode at Mugello, the bike was difficult and it was difficult to operate it. And the problem was important! It wasn't a small problem, it wasn't 'we're losing a little here'. No, it was a big problem! But for me now the most important thing is not about the bike, but more about the project, in the area of ​​coordination. In this difficult moment, all the information inside the team is the most important thing. The information must be fluid and go in the right direction, in all areas, on all aspects. If the information is transmitted well and all people work as a team, and in particular they are motivated, we will definitely progress from this situation. We are here to help, and as a pilot I will 100% do that. I will help the team but the goal is to try to understand what the direction is for the 2023 project. »

In the Repsol video you said you had to change the team. Could you be more precise ?
« Yes, I see what you mean. Maybe it was a misunderstanding because we talk all the time, but when I talked about team, it wasn't the people. This is the team concept. We have seen that the European teams work in a different way, we have seen that Honda works a lot, more than ever for a driver: they work! You can’t say “you’re not doing anything.” No, they are working! But when I talk about changing the team, it's the concept, the coordination, and trying to find the direction. I'm not the guy who says "this is the direction", or "this is another direction", because Honda is the brand that has won the most titles in the world. And I'm here at Honda because I believe in them and I believe I can get back to the top with them! But it is true that they have to understand how to organize well, because each time we have more and more races and fewer tests, and the work in the factory becomes more and more important compared to the circuits. But the circuits must work together with the factory. So these are a lot of things that they're working very hard on, and they're moving in the right direction.
I'm not the guy who's going to say "you have to organize the team like this". No ! I am a pilot. Of course, I ask for a bike that is the best bike on the track. That's my goal and that's Honda's goal: the Honda HRC is here to win titles and all the riders who ride for the Repsol Honda team have the goal of winning the championship. And even if the feeling is not good, during the next pre-season the objective will be to win the championship. This is the main objective but it is true that now, minds are open and it is the most important thing for everyone to work together and in the same direction. »

You speak as if Honda needed a revolution, like at Yamaha where at the time Valentino Rossi asked for a lot of things and the Japanese responded “yes, yes, yes” and nothing happened. Do you think Honda needs to have a more European mentality?
« I don't want to say "Honda must work like the Europeans". No ! Because in the end, the Japanese style has worked well in recent years, and we have postponed a lot of titles in recent years. But it is true that the world is changing, the championship is changing. It's like when young drivers arrive: the driving style changes and you have to try to investigate and find the way to progress and be the best. In this area, Honda works very hard but in a difficult moment it is important not to panic. Panic would be the worst enemy right now. The most important thing is to try to analyze the situation, which they do well. I believe in them, I have full confidence in them, and I had surgery on my arm to get back to the top with Honda. It's my aim. But it is true that to achieve this goal, everyone must find a way and work in the same direction. »

Do you think you can do one or two races this year?
« It is true that my intention is to do a few races this year. I will have the answer next week, to know if it will be possible or not. I don't know (for Misano) and I don't think so because it will be too tight, but I will have a medical test next week. I don't want to say "I'm going to do one race, I'm going to do one race, I'm going to do three", I don't know! Next week they will tell me what the situation is with my bone, and if it is OK I will start working. And when I feel ready, I will come back, because it is important to prepare for 2023. »

What did you ask Honda? A bike that works with the front, like the one with which you won many titles, or to continue in the same direction as the current one, on the rear?
« I want a winning bike (laughs)! But maybe a Marc Márquez style bike, from one or two years ago, maybe it doesn't work now, because the category is changing. Before the bike was very low and short, and now it becomes long and tall. So we have to understand, they have to understand, because I'm not an engineer. I don't say what our weak points are and where I struggle the most, where we lose compared to the other bikes. But they have the numbers and they are the engineers, and I believe in my engineers: if they say they are convinced by certain changes, I will believe them. »

Your brother will change manufacturers next year and Álex Rins will arrive at HRC. Can this change the dynamic of your brother and what do you think of the arrival of Álex Rins?
« Álex is my brother and we live together, but we never mix ideas when it comes to riding styles and technical things. Of course I try to help him and he tries to help me. For example, I'm sure in Valentino's academy and what they do at the ranch, everyone trains together, because that's a way to progress. I'm lucky because my brother competes with me at a very high level, a two-time world champion, and we both help each other raise our level. But when we are on the circuits, he has his secrets with his team and I have my secrets with my team. Next year he will have his secrets with Ducati and I will have my secrets with Honda. And I won't explain to him tomorrow "Honda told me what the project would be", no, because I don't know if he will talk to Ducati. But we have a very close relationship to work together because we know it helps us both.
And yes, there will be at least one new rider who will be Álex Rins at Honda, who already has a long experience at Suzuki and who is fast. We will see who my teammate will be, but it will be interesting to see a new driver who comes from another manufacturer. »

The last arm operation was the biggest. Was it also the biggest mental test for you?
« Mentally, it's true that the worst moment was before making the decision to have the operation. After the operation I was already convinced and optimistic that it would work, but before the operation, making the decision to do it was the hardest moment because I was competing and I started to have doubts : was it the arm, or was it the bike, because I am still the best Honda rider in the championship. Was it the bike, was it me? I tried to follow my instincts and I tried to follow what I felt in my body. I then understood that it was the moment but that was the most critical point. Before Le Mans and Mugello it was the most critical moment, but when I made the decision everything went in the right direction mentally because I was optimistic. But I always had, and even now, doubts about what the future will be, because now it seems that things are going well but when you ride a MotoGP, you will immediately understand if it is OK or not. »

After around twenty minutes, a storm hit the Red Bull Ring and prematurely ended the press conference because security conditions were no longer assured...