It's done ! Álex Márquez, in two days, went from Moto2 World Champion to official Honda rider in MotoGP. Which erases everything and forces him to start all over again, especially since he will share the box with the terror of the moment who is none other than his brother Marc. The pressure is therefore double and the youngest of the family will have the major worry of having to, at each turn, prove that he is legitimate for this position at Repsol. By that, mean that he did not benefit from a favor. The road will be long, and Álex Márquez is well aware of this.
A final time on the first day with a fall very early in the session, and 20e time the second, with an improvement of six tenths compared to the day before, here is the result of the two days of testing in Valencia for the new official Honda rider and rookie in MotoGP Alex Marquez.
What does he think of his first laps with the beastly RC213V? “ Things are going better than expected, especially regarding the position on the bike » assures Alex. “ I already feel good on the bike, but of course there are still some improvements to make “, declared the Moto2 world champion. “ Is it a difficult bike? I haven't found the limit yet to find out. Right now I feel good about everything. I have to continue to progress. As I said, I have to find the limit to understand what I want to improve “, he underlined after this Valencia test.
Alex Marquez also spoke about his physical condition: “ when you use a new motorcycle you are also a little cramped. You have to get used to everything to find your position. Because when you're cramped, you use too much energy “, said the 23-year-old pilot. “ In Moto2 I wasn't allowed to gain too much weight, so the training was a little different. I know what I need to improve. Between now and the four days before Jerez it will be difficult, it will happen later in winter. »
On the recurring parallel made with his brother Marc, he comments: “ there are also other Honda riders. I will try to improve and learn a lot from Marc, Cal Crutchlow and Taka Nakagami, to see some of their strengths. Of course, Marc uses this bike in the best way. He is surely the pilot from whom we should take an example. But I try to find my way, turn by turn, and get closer »
Brothers in arms at the #ValenciaTest ️@marcmarquez93 and his brother, and new @HRC_MotoGP teammate, @ alexmarquez73 put in a few laps together at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo 👀#2020awaits pic.twitter.com/TRrenNPd1d
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) November 20, 2019
« I have progressed mainly in consistency, by mastering a little of everything, but there is still a lot to do, you have to understand the carbon tires and brakes, that's sometimes where I get a little stopped, I have to capture that feeling with the brakes and that's what I need to work on in the next test. »
He finishes : " I met Marc twice on the track, and like with all the other drivers, I tried to learn something, even if it was small things. We have shared telemetry with all Honda riders. I saw the areas where I need to improve for Jerez. Riding with Marc was good because it helped me learn, but it's clear he's on another level and two steps ahead »
MotoGP Valencia Test J2: times
| 1 | 12 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha M1 | 1:29.849 | ||
| 2 | 20 | fabio quartararo | Yamaha M1 | 1:30.013 | 0.164 | 0.164 |
| 3 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha M1 | 1:30.114 | 0.265 | 0.101 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda RC213V | 1:30.316 | 0.467 | 0.202 |
| 5 | 36 | Joan mir | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:30.427 | 0.578 | 0.111 |
| 6 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:30.503 | 0.654 | 0.076 |
| 7 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda RC213V | 1:30.556 | 0.707 | 0.053 |
| 8 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | KTM RC16 | 1:30.685 | 0.836 | 0.129 |
| 9 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha M1 | 1:30.781 | 0.932 | 0.096 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati GP20 | 1:30.854 | 1.005 | 0.073 |
| 11 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati GP20 | 1:31.143 | 1.294 | 0.289 |
| 12 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati GP19 | 1:31.258 | 1.409 | 0.115 |
| 13 | 51 | Michele Pirro | Ducati GP20 | 1:31.424 | 1.575 | 0.166 |
| 14 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | KTM RC16 | 1:31.470 | 1.621 | 0.046 |
| 15 | 27 | Iker Lecuona | KTM RC16 | 1:31.515 | 1.666 | 0.045 |
| 16 | 41 | Aleix Espargaró | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:31.526 | 1.677 | 0.011 |
| 17 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati GP19 | 1:31.597 | 1.748 | 0.071 |
| 18 | 6 | Stefan bradl | Honda RC213V | 1:31.657 | 1.808 | 0.060 |
| 19 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:31.800 | 1.951 | 0.143 |
| 20 | 73 | Alex Marquez | Honda RC213V | 1:32.235 | 2.386 | 0.435 |
| 21 | 38 | Bradley Smith | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:32.249 | 2.400 | 0.014 |
| 22 | 33 | Brad Binder | KTM RC16 | 1:32.367 | 2.518 | 0.118 |
