Marc Marquez has his sights set on another World Championship in 2022 as the Repsol Honda star returns to full fitness for his tenth season in MotoGP.
A turbulent two years, following an accident in the opening race of 2020 at Jerez, has seen the eight-time champ struggling to return to the formidable form he’s famous for. An additional training injury at the close of last season saw questions return over if he would even be back on two wheels. But with his condition improving dramatically in the past couple of weeks and an impressive showing in the opening pre-season test at Sepang, it seems the fears were unfounded.
“Two weeks ago my goal was not the championship because still I was injured and even I was not training,” Marquez admitted following the official launch of his 2022 Repsol Honda RC213V. “But now, what I feel in Malaysia, for me was the last recheck that everything was okay - because it was a long day, very tired, always you have these doubts. The doctor said to me ‘Will be not a problem’ but I had the doubts. Then when I check in Malaysia that I was okay, okay I need more laps and I need to feel more fresh on the bike, especially in the second day I feel tired but the time will arrive. So from that point I say ‘Okay, why not?’
“We will start the season from the first race so if you are in the Repsol Honda team, you must fight for the championship.
“During all this time, they wait for me, they respect me a lot,” he continued, on the team that has surrounded him for the past nine seasons. “Already in 2020 I didn’t race and then I say to them, about the contract, about everything, ‘Give me what you want’, but they respect me a lot. This is one of the reasons why I stay a long time and why I signed a four year contract with Repsol Honda team because I feel part of the family and this is how they showed to me. This is so important. We have one spirit, but we have one goal that is fight for the championship and this is what we will try to do in 2022.
“We understand last year, and especially this winter that I had a limitation in this shoulder but taking care and even before, but now we already organise in a different way. The rehabilitation after the race, the recovery after the race and prepare the GPs, we are trying to organise all these things because I know that if the pain stay down all the season is not a problem for me. But it’s true that for that I need to do some sacrifice and I need to maybe to do some things that I will not do in a normal way. That takes time to me but I will do because it’s my job and I will do everything to be fit all the season. Like this I think is the best way to fight for the championship.”
While the past two years have been difficult, they have also allowed Marquez to stop and reflect on his achievements so far, in what has already been a record-breaking career on many levels.
“These two years, 2020 when I was at home and 2021 that was very difficult season for me but in the end was coming a better way, is true that you start to understand what you did. Because now you feel like it is difficult to be fast, consistent, every racetrack, every conditions, not falling down on Sundays and all these things. I start to understand and I try to analyse how I did, because now I feel like I need time and I need a great evolution and I need to improve a lot if I want to repeat.
“I feel like I can fight for a championship but win 100 points advantage like I did? We are very far from that.
“Now everything is very close,” he said go the current championship. “The level is very close between all the riders, we cannot say one rider makes the difference, like for example four years ago but will be interesting. Is another race, another race in my life and I will try to fight. First of all I need to come back, to feel again the special feeling, the sweet feeling on the bike. After that, will arrive.
“I will not approach the season thinking about my limitation,” he continued. “I know that if I’m ready, and I work at this month, February and maybe the first races but if I work well this first two months I will not have a limitation to ride the bike. So I will approach the season, thinking about my performance and the performance of the bike and then working with the team together to approach or to fight for the title and to approach the races in the best way.”
An added complication over the past two years has even the coronavirus pandemic, with Marquez himself revealing he contracted the virus during the winter break.
“I pass the Covid this winter, was like the flu, he explained “but it’s true that now with all the protocols, we need to take care. Will be difficult sometimes because now we start with the events, we start with the sponsor events, with some interviews, already the life is coming in a normal way and I think sooner or later the championship need to move also to a normal way.”
2022 sees Pol Espargaro return alongside Marquez in the Repsol garage, with his younger brother Alex and Takaaki Nakagami continuing to run with LCR on equal factory machinery as the HRC project strengthens.
“It’s not my decision, but of course, always the strongest opponent on the track I want in my teammate, because then I know that I have the same tools,” Marquez said. “Now, my teammate Pol is fast and also the LCR team, also they have good riders, but it’s not my decision. In the past I never force any rider and I never block any rider. Like for example when Lorenzo arrive, in the past Pedrosa and now Pol. Because it’s not my decision, is Honda decision and I know that all in HRC will try to have the best team and always I will respect that decision. Doesn’t matter who will be my teammate. My work on the inside of the garage will be the same one.”
