Marc Márquez spoke to Sports world in a long, very personal interview. Independence, celebrity, character, vacations, current season, 2019… the six-time world champion addressed many subjects which are discussed in two parts. Here is the second.
Obviously, in view of current events, it is difficult not to ask Marc Marquez what he thinks of the high-profile arrival of Jorge Lorenzo at Honda, but he remains neutral: “I don't mind that it's talked about a lot, because the team has always kept me informed. I didn't decide anything but they asked me if it was a problem for me. I have no problems because I don't have to be afraid of anyone and I prefer that one of my strongest direct opponents has the same weapons as me because that way there is no excuse to to have. »
Being the team's number one driver, he is quite objective about losing this place to Lorenzo: “We can have won a lot so far, if the next year whoever arrives wins everything, it is he who will become the number one driver. When I arrived at Honda, I gave my comments to the team but the one who decided the line to follow was Dani Pedrosa. Then little by little you feel more and more comfortable and things can turn around. »
Asked about Alberto Puig's words, considering that it would not be easy to manage two drivers like Lorenzo and Márquez in the same team, the latter confirms: " It's normal. When you have two drivers winning on the same team, both want to do it but only one of them can. But I think he was more referring to the fact that we are two drivers with different driving styles. The evolution of the bike could be very different, but we have shown our ability to follow two distinct lines. We were already doing it, it will not change because Lorenzo is coming. Until now, Pedrosa was following one development path and me another, but the final comment from both drivers must be very similar. We have the same engine, like all Honda riders, but our chassis have their own characteristics and that's where we can develop different things. This will be a year to learn from another champion, from a driver who has won 5 world titles and who can bring a lot of things. »
Finally, regarding the wall that had been built between the boxes of Rossi and Lorenzo at Yamaha, Márquez indicated that he did not wish to reproduce the same thing: " I will not do it. Now everything happens via cable or wifi. The data, which is the most important thing and compares with computers, was the same and they compared it the same way, but the wall was more psychological. I learned that off the track there is little psychological warfare and that the best way is to fight on the track. »
Regarding his current season, the six-time world champion has started to change his way of doing things as we saw at the German Grand Prix. Having never tried to set a fast time in practice, he nevertheless went for pole position on Saturday. Questioned on this subject, he admits to having made a change: “You become more mature, both on and off the track. You gain experience and that helps you a lot. But above all, when things go well, you have confidence in yourself and in the team, and that allows you to do what I did at Sachsenring, that is to say work knowing that at the moment of truth you will be there, in front, even if you are tenth in the tests. This is the consequence of being a leader and everything going well. I have more weapons than last year. In 2017 we started the season very badly, I struggled to be in the top 4 or 5 and I had to work a lot. But this season I started with good momentum and now everything is going well. People tell me that my bike works very well, but the Yamahas and the Ducatis are behind. It's a compromise between rider, bike and team and you have to find the best possible balance to achieve good results. »
To end this long interview, Marc Márquez spoke with great determination about the second part of the season that awaits him: “I will face the second part of the season as if it were the first. You have to try to be as prepared as possible, both physically and technically. There are 10 races left, we have only done 9, so we will face them with the same mentality and the same intensity. Consistency is the key to any championship. You have to be fast, but also regular. It's something to work on. You have to try to go to the limit but without going beyond it. We have a 46-point lead and we will have to use them in all situations without wasting them. However, we must know how to do a mental “reset”, as if this difference did not exist, as if we were zero points ahead. Last year there were a lot of "all or nothing" races, but this year, my lead means that if there is a race in the rain or a race where I encounter certain difficulties, I know that the most important will be to score points. I already made a mistake at Mugello and I couldn't admit that I was having a bit of trouble this weekend. You have to work on this as much as possible so as not to waste this lead and make good use of it. »
Find the first part of the interview.
