It's a doubt that no longer really exists but which still dies hard since, even at the time of her coronation, Joan Mir had to answer it. It is this idea, launched by Alberto Puig from Repsol Honda, that without Marc Marquez, the MotoGP season no longer had the same dimension and the title at stake did not exactly have the same flavor. Nor even an identical level. By this, mean that the one who would take the crown left by the king without a fight would do so almost by default. Joan Mir now has this title in her pocket. And he responds scathingly to skeptics of all stripes and ranks…
Joan Mir, at 23, is MotoGP World Champion, at the end of a concentrated and tense season, carried out under the constant threat of COVID-19, and where it was therefore necessary to combine speed, consistency and nerves of steel. Even without Marc Marquez, the affair was therefore not a trifle. Nothing really went as planned and those who were there were left to suffer while the others, with their noses in the bubble, did their job.
20 years after the last coronation and in the vintage of its centenary, the manufacturer Suzuki won the bet, one race before the end of the debates, thanks to a young driver on whom he had bet. We can turn history in all directions, we will never find the shadow of a usurpation, and even less so when we know the journey of Joan mir.
Certainly, but as has often been pointed out Alberto Puig, all that was without Marc Marquez. A remark that the new World Champion dismissed when it was put to him on the evening of his moment of glory… “ Those who say that this title is less valuable without Marc Marquez know nothing about motorcycling ". That is clear. The man from Repsol Honda will appreciate it.
« We did not kidnap Marc Marquez »
More Joan mir don't stop there. He also explains his point of view: “ If Marc Marquez is not here it is not because he was kidnapped and disappeared. Marc was at Jerez, risking his life to win the race and the championship, and he suffered a failure that cost him the season. That's all. If that takes away merit, then it also takes away merit from previous titles when the theoretical favorite made a mistake and got injured. It's part of the game and part of MotoGP. It is clear that I do not consider this title to be less meritorious because there is no Márquez ».
Of which act. But Marc Marquez will eventually return and confront the now reigning champion who, in the process, opened the way for a new generation. How will this reunion go? “ Questions about this hypothesis are still difficult to answer. Of course, Marc is the driver who has proven to be the fastest in recent years and he is the man to beat. This year he unfortunately suffered this injury while fighting for the title and I don't know if, when he returns, he will see that the bar has been raised. It's MotoGP and he won't be surprised because he already knows what the level is here. I imagine when he returns he will struggle in the tests until he is fully fit ».
A young wolf has taken charge of the pack and he is only the first of a long-toothed contingent. Marc Marquez would do well to return quickly and to the top of his art, otherwise he will never regain his dominant position. In any case, the fight will take place!
