Alex Marquez approaches this Catalan Grand Prix with mixed feelings. First, he is relieved that his illustrious older brother Marc has decided to stop spending money to finally concentrate on himself and thus give himself the means to finally return to a normal life, free from the daily torture imposed on him by his right arm, injured since his fall in Jerez in 2020. Then, he knows that he must determine his place in this immense void that the eight-time World Champion leaves at Honda and thus also work for his future. So he takes a stand by offering himself for technical development, which his teammate Taka Nakagami also did at the end of the last Italian Grand Prix…
At Honda, we will have to mobilize the troops, discipline them and engage them in a technical path whose objective will be to release an RC213V finally worthy of a leading world manufacturer. And it will not be so simple, because, in this period when careers must be decided, many will tend to pull the cover towards themselves. Pol Espargaro will be there since wearing Repsol colors which however seem to escape him. Taka Nakagami plays the national fiber by offering himself to engineers who are also his compatriots. And then there is Alex Marquez, who wants to be an extension of his brother and thus build in his name until his return.
The conviction of the double World Champion, since he was crowned in Moto3 and Moto2, is such that he takes the complete opposite view of the evaluation of the consequences on the Honda project of the indefinite package of Marc Marquez. So, while Aleix’s brother swears that it will be damaging, Marc’s brother says: “ No. We need to improve the whole package. I already told Honda: I'm ready to try things and work. I'm ready for this. I guess I'm not bad at commenting. My feedback is always very similar to Marc's. I'm ready to take on the challenge. If Honda wants my opinion, I'm ready to test everything and try to improve our bike ».
Public chat speedweek, the one who stood on two podiums in 2020 with the Repsol colors swears that although the situation is serious, it is far from hopeless. Indeed… " The good thing is that the problem is not with the engine. It's more about the chassis and general ergonomics. Development is authorized there, many changes can be made. I don't know if it will take two races or three and until the summer break. I hope and believe we can have a better bike. We still have a long season ahead of us and we want a better bike to enjoy the second half of the season. Last year we made good progress from Austria ».
Alex Marquez: “the results don't look good but that's how it is"
It remains that in the Honda clan, Alex Marquez is the one that convinces the least for the moment. In the championship, Pol Espargaro is 12th with 40 points, followed by Nakagami which has 38 units. Alex Marquez, he is stagnating in 18th place with 20 points. But whatever… " The results don't look good and aren't what we expected before the season. But it's like that. I try to give 100% in every race and show that the potential is there ", said Alex Marquez. " I think everyone here knows the race. You can see Honda is struggling. All Honda drivers have great difficulties. Still, it’s not the best situation to show that you can be fast.” And it is in recognition of this situation that he concludes: “I'm trying to get the best option for my future. We're working on it, but it's more the work of Emilio Alzamora, my manager. I'm trying to talk on the floor. This is where a pilot should speak ».
As for this Grand Prix in Catalonia, Alex Marquez has four podiums in small categories in Barcelona, including three victories: Moto3 in 2014, Moto2 in 2017 and 2019. In 2014, he qualified on pole position in Moto3 for the first time in his Grand Prix career, en route to win the title.
In 2017, he also qualified on pole position in Moto2. In 2019, he qualified sixth in Moto2 and won his third race of the season, en route to his second world title. In 2020, Alex Marquez raced on the Montmèlo track for the first time on a MotoGP. He qualified 18th and finished the race in 13th position. In 2021, he qualified in the penultimate position ahead of Lorenzo Savadori and finished 11th as best driver Honda.
