Alex Marquez launched his third year in MotoGP on Wednesday as he returns to the LCR Castrol Honda team for 2022.

Buoyed by positive preseason testing at both Jerez and Sepang in recent months with the all-new Honda RC213V, Marquez is confident but hesitant of the potential in store for the coming year.

“We tried already the bike at Jerez so we had already some information,” the 25-year-old said of the recent Malaysia outing. "We're starting trying a few things, Honda asking to us to try to see in comparison Jerez how was the bike? But from the first moment I feel quite okay. We try exhaust, some wings, some engine and all this so I was really liking the bike.

"Is true that still we need many more laps and try more setups and all this. Malaysia for me is never easy test but also is not a really ‘real’ test. Is some test that everybody's fast in one lap, about the rhythm you can see a bit more the reality, that we were not bad. So quite positive, quite good, but still I'm really looking forward to try the new bike in Mandalika to see in different types of tracks, how is the bike. Will be a good test for us to see how far we are from the others or how close we are.

"This the main thing for Mandalika and moving forward to, step by step be more fast and more comfortable on the bike and have everything more under control. This is the main thing for this second test.”

During Repsol Honda’s launch presentation, HRC bosses were quick to highlight the revolutionary nature of the 2022 machine and the key role feedback from all four of their factory riders had been in the process.

“The four riders, we asked for one thing that was really important for us, that was rear grip,” Marquez confirmed. “Rear grip we have more. We confirm in Jerez, Marc confirm again in Malaysia because as you see he tried still the '21 bike in the first day and then he jumped to the '22 and he confirm that is more grip.

“I think we have more potential about engine but about overall potential about the bike, just that some reactions, some parameters still we need to control. Still we need to know when we need more rear contact, where we need more front weight and all this. So we are playing on that point, about balance of the bike with like really standard setups, just to control how we need to be in the balance. How we can play about swingarm or the front and all this. As I said Malaysia is a really strange test and here in Mandalika I hope with two days we can have a little bit more time to try. The first races maybe we will need to adapt a lot still the bike or to see which problems we have, so we will need to be really open to change the setup and also will be important for the riders to be like in an open mentality to try things and to take the profit of 100 per cent of this bike because many things still we are not controlling 100 per cent.

"I can say to you maybe that ‘yeah, we'll be super fantastic in all the tracks, will be the best bike’ but we don't know,” Marquez admitted. “This is the reality that we have, we don't know still in many tracks, in many type of tracks how will be.

“In Jerez we were able to be fast, Misano also, also in Malaysia. Looks good but I don't want to be like so optimistic because you know, it's MotoGP and MotoGP, the preseason and the tests are really different compared to how can be weekend race. Less grip on track, everything more tight, less time on track, so will be interesting to see in Qatar race how we are. Looks great, looks the potential is there but still many, as I said many things to still control.

“I'm optimistic for this season. I think coming from a hard year, but a year that I learn a lot, and I grow up as a rider a lot because we were in difficult times many, many times and with many problems in the bike, but this help you to grow up. So, yeah be the first independent rider, can be but especially be more constant in the top eight. This is the main targets for me.

“In Malaysia our rhythm, we were not bad as I said in top eight, top seven, so this is good. Again, we'll be really close season and the gap as you see in Malaysia is really close between all the riders. So every detail comes and will be really open year. Now the MotoGP class is really open, really close everything. The equality's really, really close so you can be in top ten and next race you can fight for the podium. So it's like this, it's really open everything and I think everything is possible. So we'll try to make a good test in Mandalika, make a great work like we did in Malaysia and be ready for Qatar. That is where we need to really start to rock and roll and make the results. Because the test in the end, yeah, it's nice to see there in the top but the important thing is where they give to you the points, so the race weekend is the main target.”

2022 also brings further pressure as contract negotiations start to play out - with almost the entire grid out of contract from the end of the year - and the pandemic still hovering in the air.

“The pressure about the Covid is always there,” Marquez admitted. "In the last week at home I was pushing my father, my mother, everybody to make antigen test every day just to be sure. 'You come home to see Marc and me, please wear the mask, wear this' because is like this. Is your work, when you need to really work and you have only two tests, you want to test. The pressure of the Covid is there. Hopefully from here to summer, hopefully will be more relaxed and will be a little bit easier but the situation in Spain was not easy in January. I have during the winter you can say that I have a close contact with positives, [with brother Marc contracting the virus] but I never took it. Looks like I have a good defence from the Covid so I hope to not take it and be safe all the time.

“For me more than pressure, is motivation,” he continued. “All the contracts or nearly all the contracts will be open. Everything will be open. So is a motivation to take a nice place or being in the same one that I'm really happy also here. So I mean is a motivation to have this opportunity because in the end, my future is in my hands. This is a nice thing that you can have in your life. You don't depend on anybody, just in your ability, in your hands. So will be interesting to see.

“All the riders you see in Sepang, in time attack, everybody want to push already to have a good image from the teams and all this. I believe in the work, I believe to be in Qatar ready to fight for good results and then from there, we'll see. Everything is open. I didn't speak with anybody about that. It is work for Emilio [Alzamora, Marquez’ manager]. My work is to have a good performance on track, is just what I can do for my future.”