It is a humble Marc Marquez and conscious of a state still far from the perfection to which he still aspires that he presents himself for the Spanish Grand Prix. An important and symbolic deadline, because last July it was at turn 3 of this Jerez track that the Honda official saw his career shift into another register. However, he does not come back vengeful but always diligent and focused on not going faster than the music imposed by his body. Besides, he almost apologizes to Honda…
After nine months off due to the humerus injury and three consecutive operations, Marc Marquez made his return during the last Portuguese Grand Prix which he finished in a good seventh place given the circumstances. A victory over fate and himself which took away from him tears of relief, but also of pain. Because the eight-time world champion is not yet the person he was before an accident which, precisely, took place on a track Jerez which he finds. “ Portimao was a very special weekend in every way” comments the Honda official during his press conference. “Everything seems calmer here, it’s a normal weekend. My physical condition hasn't changed much but I hope to be able to ride better from FP1 ».
« My goal is to be more consistent in terms of fitness throughout the weekend. I have good memories here, even bad ones… There are no other clear objectives. Ride well, accumulate kilometers, find the right position on the motorcycle. We know what our limit is, it's not about the tires or the bike but I am the limit. We know where we need to improve but we need time, days and kilometers on the bike he said.
Marc Marquez: “I took a lot of antibiotics and it takes time to recover”
He adds : " from Portimao to here, I trained a little, I went to the gym, I went cycling but lightly because my body was asking me to slow down. I took a lot of antibiotics and it takes time to recover, it's hard to contain yourself like that at 28 years old. I relaxed, stayed at home, watched the Portimao race. The position on the bike is not correct, especially in right turns, the elbow is not where it should be. At the start of the race they passed me from all sides, when I found the right position I found the rhythm and managed to finish the race. I have to put miles on the bike, I know I will improve ».
He finishes : " Honda is working and has brought new features. I can't even say that much, the limit is not the team and the bike but me. For now we are thinking of starting with a bike similar to the one in Portimao and then we will try to understand, if I feel good and can try something new otherwise I will try to improve in other ways. We haven't won in a long time but Honda is working and we will be back on top soon ».
In fact, none of the pilots Honda hasn't won since Marc Marquez in Valencia in 2019, i.e. 17 races MotoGP successive. The last time Honda didn't have a single win in more than successive premier class races was from the 2008 BritishGP to the Dutch TT in 2009, that's 18 successive races.
