MotoGP, Marc Marquez’s cautious approach ahead of Austrian GP

MotoGP, Marc Marquez’s cautious approach ahead of Austrian GP

Here are the words of Honda Spaniard Marc Marquez on the eve of the three-day MotoGP class Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. The quotes are from the Italian motorsport.com website.

“Austria is one of the tracks where I haven’t won in the past and I really don’t think we can win this year. In any case we will try to approach the weekend with a low profile. We will see our level on Friday, then we will try to improve our level.”

“No doubt I have some difficulties in putting the new approach into practice, but in the summer break we analyzed the situation and I saw that I broke 3 bones and a ligament. It was necessary to change my approach. Now we have to find our limits on the track to try to improve. Now we have to try to finish all the races to bring home data, find confidence and we will do that here. We are working, I am working on myself to improve. Then tomorrow we will try a new aerodynamic package and see if we can improve.”

“It’s important that Honda is making efforts to improve things, also looking at Europe to take engineers who can help us change the situation. I believe Honda has always put effort. But the situation is critical and is forcing us to change. It is good that Honda has decided to invest money and bring in engineers. But I as a rider evaluate what I see on the track, I cannot do that with what happens in the offices. I will bring their efforts to the track. So will they with what I will do on the track.”

“In the end I think all the Manufacturers have the same ambition, but in recent years some have developed faster and that has made a difference. I don’t know why, because I’m not an engineer. But it is true that KTM is very aggressive in their choice of engineers and people to grow their project. And that is the European style. I have spoken well of KTM, but not because I pretend. When a rider does well you say it and when a Manufacturer does it you have to acknowledge it. KTM has grown a lot so has Ducati and so is Aprilia. We have to look at our own work to try to understand what others have done better and also copy, try to understand what they have done.”

“I expected this level from my brother Alex, because he is a world champion (in Moto3 in 2014 and Moto2 in 2019, ed.). In MotoGP there are world champions and he is one. I expected him to be. When you come to a manufacturer that is doing well, it is normal to expect him to do well. Just as it is easy to think he could be with a Constructor that is struggling more right now. I already understood from last year’s testing that he could do well.”

“In Misano we will test the new bike and we need to work, but there is no rush for the future. The important thing will be to understand the level of the bikes, my level, how I feel. But already in this part of 2023 I will have to try to improve myself, trying to avoid the mistakes I made in the first part of the season.”