We have known since Monday that Marc Marquez will ultimately not be at the start of the season in Qatar. But Alex Marquez will be there and on a Honda. Still, he won't really be in great shape. He suffers from a foot fracture modestly presented as “small” by official press releases. The now LCR driver will return to the Losail track with which the current did not pass during the five days of the off-season, marked by so many falls. Before returning to the fight, Nakagami's teammate takes stock...
During the penultimate day of pre-season testing on the circuit Losail in Qatar, Alex Marquez regretted a fifth and final fall on his Honda LCR. If the first crashes ended relatively well, Thursday's crash had consequences. The highside at turn 9 hurt his right foot, the metatarsal of which was fractured. Enough to prematurely end the test day after 36 laps. During the medical check-up, a two-millimeter fracture of the fourth metatarsal was found in the right foot.
The youngest brother Marquez commented directly on this situation: “ I think the broken bone won't be a problem for me. The bone is not completely fractured, like at Le Mans in 2017 and 2018 where I drove with a real broken bone in the same place, but on the left ».
We are now a few days away from the first test session. How is it Alex Marquez ? He answers : " My foot is doing pretty well. The swelling has already reduced significantly. Even if I'm not 100% fit during the first race, it shouldn't bother me. On the bike, the pain will subside with adrenaline ". He adds : " it's not that I have a lot of pain, nor that I take anti-inflammatories, I'm just a little lame, but on the bike it's something that won't bother me at all at least I hope ».
Physical side, Alex Marquez therefore think you have mastered it. But there still remains the fact that his offseason did not go well. How is he approaching this first deadline of the year which will take place on the same track? “ There were a lot of falls in general » recalls the Spaniard. “ I think it's special in Qatar. If conditions change, the front tire becomes difficult to manage ».
Alex Marquez: “I don’t trust the track that Qatar”
« We also saw Yamaha crashes, which is not that common. It is important that I understand each of my falls. Apart from that, I also became faster. I hope it will be a little easier on the race weekend. It is important to understand each fall " precise Alex Marquez.
Honda worked on many details during testing, including the chassis. What does he think of the 213 version RC2021V? “ The bike is very similar to 2020. We have improved some good aspects but I don't trust the Qatar track. This is not a good reference. It will be a strange start to the season. We'll have to wait until Jerez to see where each bike is » warns the younger Marquez.
Marquez had to move from the factory team to the LCR satellite team. He has a new team around the chief engineer Christophe “Beefy” Bourguignon, who also worked for Stefan bradl and more recently for Cal Crutchlow. " For the moment, I don't miss anything compared to the factory team » assesses the Moto3 and Moto2 World Champion on his new environment. “ I feel very comfortable. The communication is the same. You don't have this constant pressure. Everything is going very well so far. Cecchinello doesn't put me under pressure either. I am motivated and I think we can achieve good results ».
He ends on Motorsport-total : " I will also fight to win MotoGP. This is my dream. In Moto3 and Moto2, I achieved my dreams. As a child, it was unimaginable. I will continue to work on it. Details are very important. You have to work to make sure everything goes well to win ».
