Who wants something, it costs something. well you know Marc Marquez who, since his accident in Jerez (in July 2020), continues to seek to recover his maximum level. He has needed four operations, more than two years of recovery and, above all, a lot of patience. Also enormous mental strength for an eight-time world champion like him. But, finally, everything seems to have come to an end and Sepang’s tests showed that his physical limitations are no longer the problem. Now everything falls on a Honda that continues to be critical because the problems of last year remain unresolved. And the most dramatic: they don’t even know what to do.
those of the golden wing They are already working against the clock. They have a month ahead of them to take another step forward and bring to Portugal “something new and new ideas that help to be faster” against a Ducati that continues to dominate the top of the table. A red ‘demon’ that, more than ever, seems invincible. For the moment, Márquez has fulfilled his part and hopes that the Japanese brand can do it before the start of the year and freeze an engine that will have no choice. At least his first goal has been accomplished. “Being physically fit was the most important thing for me. I have felt much better and I have been able to have a normal winter”, says the Spaniard after focusing all the work on “improving the sensations in the arm” and seeing what has been achieved. But this is only the starting point and, far from being satisfied, he sets the bar higher: “I’m picky and I still want more.” The focus is already on the first event of the year, the Portuguese GP (March 26): “That’s where I want to be one hundred percent.”
Honda thinks the same after a Sepang test that ended up being a reality check. Far from being happy, Marc was very clear with the brand: “It is not a motorcycle to win the World Cup” and asks for quick solutions. He does not doubt the involvement of the factory, which “has worked this winter” to put up to four motorcycles in the Spaniard’s box in the first tests of the year, but they still cannot find the right path. The entrance of a new technical director to the box, Ken Kawauchi, direct from Suzuki, gives them hope of finding a solution at the last moment after collecting “a lot of information” in Malaysia. They want to enter the fight with Ducati and Aprilia, but for now, They can only aspire to a top5 which is inadmissible for the most successful brand in MotoGP.
However, It will continue to be so until Portimao. It will be in the second pre-season tests, in Portugal, where they expect something new after thoroughly analyzing everything that has already been tested in Sepang. That and that Honda is able to listen not only to Márquez, but also to all the comments from the other riders who end up coinciding with the world champion. “Honda riders must be more united than ever”, Press Álex Rins, a newcomer to the brand’s satellite box and already heavily involved in the development of the prototype. The positive reading? Marc himself explains it: “It is not easy in three days to try everything well and take the right directions, but I think we’ve made it. We have worked well”. For the moment, only a miracle in Portugal will save them, but who says that the tortilla cannot be turned around? Márquez is not going to settle for less.
