Marc Marquez always surprises. And while it’s something Honda should be used to by now, there’s still a certain amount of awe at what its rider is capable of achieving. Not even four operations are enough to stop him. And less bad. As Enea Bastianini already said in the Misano tests, “the World Cup was missing something” without the man from Lleida and, without a doubt, “with his presence everything will be more fun”. At the moment he was not wrong. Despite the fact that he arrived in Japan with the idea of suffering more than in Aragon, the eight-time world champion lived up to his titles: on Saturday he took pole position and, although his physical condition is far from one hundred percent, he was able to endure the race with the best of sensations. He was fourth, touching a podium that was not in his objectives, but with all the happiness of feeling that he could be the same old Marc again.
And from the team they also felt that joy. But also hope and relief, because the situation was taking the right direction again, although the Honda still requires a lot of work time. At least three years later, Márquez returned to the park ferme as the fastest on the grid. An extra motivation that was needed. “I think pole position was very important for Marc, it had been a long time since he was in this position. Even if it was wet, which is a different circumstance than normal, being at the top is a great stimulus for any rider”, explained Albert Puig, Repsol Honda team manager, as an assessment of a very positive weekend for the team from Cervera.
“As for the race, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him and that Marc might be in trouble because it is the first full race he has done since Mugello, after the problems in Aragon”, adds the Spaniard, who continues to be amazed by Márquez’s performances: “We expected his condition to drop in the race but, Frankly, we were surprised. His feelings after the race were good, of course he lacked a bit of power, but it wasn’t as dramatic as we expected. Motegi is a very demanding circuit with the heavy braking and acceleration of the track, so this is positive and shows that he is improving.” Now, without rest, the Repsol Honda lands in Buriram to compete in the Thai GP, a track where Marc only knows victory and the place where three years ago he was proclaimed world champion for the last time. He does not set goals but, after triumphing on a right-hand track, the expectation for this weekend is higher.
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Thinking of 2023
But despite the emotion of being able to recover the path to follow, the situation at Honda is still a drama. The mark of golden wing It is still the last in the Constructors’ World Championship, with Márquez as the best of its riders and with Repsol Honda being the ninth best team in the World Championship. For this reason, they are already thinking about 2023: with the new confirmed driver line-up, They are already working on a new prototype that will solve the multiple problems of this course. For the moment, the return of Márquez has already given them more clues.
“We are trying to understand what is the best direction and the way forward. Each race gives us more information, it would be wrong to say ‘we know exactly what to do’, but we are getting close. The situation is clear and we are checking how, where and when we need to improve. It is clear that no one at Honda is happy with these results, even though we did pick up some positive points this weekend in Japan. We must continue to react, we must continue to improve.” ditch Puig.