After having lived through "the three hardest years" of his sports career, and after demonstrating in the Sepang tests that he is close to his best physical shape (he did 149 laps in three days), Marc Márquez faces the 2023 season with high spirits. to reclaim the MotoGP throne. So, bareback, without hesitation. “This year we have to talk about the title”, commented the Catalan rider at the presentation of the Repsol Honda Team in Madrid, along with his new teammate Joan Mir.
In front of Antoni Brufau, president of the oil company, and Tetsuhiro Kuwata, director of HRC, Marc Márquez promised to fight again for the MotoGP world title, which has resisted him in the last three courses due to injuries and four operations.
“The sensations in preseason are always exciting, you start with the desire to work, I come from two or three years that have been the worst of my career, and Honda also comes from bad years. I am convinced that if we manage to combine everything well we can have a great championship.
"Last year I missed the pressure, I put pressure on myself thinking about realistic results. This year we have to talk about the title, and the illusion is that, be it me or Joan. Later during the year we will see".
“My style, my philosophy and DNA is still the same as when I was 20 years old. Experience adds up and I must know how to use it. It will be an intense championship, with many races and the Sprint race on Saturdays. The more weapons you have, the more strategy options you have. The mentality is to go out and ride on instinct, like I did the last few years."
“My goal is to try to win, and win with Honda. I am convinced that we will both return to the top together. The goal is to get back to where we left off.”
"It is the biggest challenge of my sports career. I have gone from glory to falling to almost retirement, but I am not going to throw in the towel. My mentality is the same, that of a winning driver who is going to try to fight for the title But you have to be realistic and see what you can opt for. I try to work hard this season to achieve these goals, and if it's not in 2023, in 2024. I have a two-year contract."
"I wouldn't know exactly where the Honda is now, it will depend on the circuit where we start. At Sachsenring I would put it in a different place than Sepang. If we work well at Portimao it could be in the top five group."
