Marc Marquez is ready for a sacrifice
The words of Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez took stock of the situation with Autosport, ahead of the MotoGp resumption: “I was able to think and evaluate, especially when you are serene at home you can think about what happened in this first part of the season, what you did wrong or what you did right. One of the things we are going to change for the second part is the way we approach the races. Of course I started the year, and I don’t deny it, with the goal of fighting for wins and the world title, but for one reason or another we are not ready, and I can’t approach the second part of the season thinking about fighting for the top positions. I had too many injuries, it was impossible to get into a rhythm and have confidence. So the goal for this second part of the season is to maybe be less explosive, but with the goal of trying to continue to grow the project, as well as regain confidence in myself and race pace. It’s been since Sepang 2022 that I haven’t finished a long race, although in Le Mans I only had one lap to go, but it’s impossible to get into a rhythm like that. I’m human, and although I know I’m going strong on the bike, having the race pace is something else.”
The first part of 2023 was one to forget: “Right now you have to have willpower and be willing to make some sacrifices,” he clarified, “This summer I tried to have fun doing flat track, which I hadn’t done in a long time, and riding a small motorcycle. I’ve been looking for methods to make the best use of my free time, and as I feel better in MotoGP I will certainly find more motivation to fight for wins. We cannot hide the reality, and today we are not prepared to fight to be in the top five. Maybe it could happen on some circuits, like it happened with me in Le Mans or with Rins in Austin, but these are specific situations. I did well at Portimao and Le Mans, but then nowhere else. Rins did the same in Austin, but not for the rest of the season. You have to be realistic.”
Closing remark on Rins’ move to Yamaha for 2024: “I’ve always wanted to stay in touch with Alberto Puig and the test team,” he explained, “Bradl tested at Misano and Jerez, and at Silverstone they will tell me exactly what’s new and what’s unchanged. I know the test team did well, but we’ll have to see if what they tried will work or not. They have continued to work on looking for developments, that is clear, but we will see in the next races what happens. Also, the Misano test is important, which is the last one we have and is where the bikes for 2024 start to be tested. Rins’ move surprises me, especially because he himself had said that the Honda was not that bad, and that you could win with it. Yet in such a short time he was already thinking of moving to another brand, which surprises me, but we respect his decision. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t see that Honda is a good bike, so he’s looking for another project.”
