Marc Marquez admits his ambition to win is the same as when he arrived into MotoGP in 2013, and although Honda’s lack of competitiveness might hold him back in 2023, ‘we are a team, we win together and lose together’, said the eight-time world champion.
Marquez is back to full fitness for the first time in three seasons, however, Honda don’t appear ready to offer him a bike capable of dominating MotoGP like in 2019.
Pre-season results weren’t kind to the Japanese manufacturer, although optimism remains for Marquez as race pace was much stronger compared to qualifying simulations.
That being said, winning races consistently in 2023 appears to be a tall task at the moment which led to Marquez being asked if he feels ready to win but that Honda could be holding him back.
Marquez’s response was however to the point in defence of Honda: “No. We are a team, we win together and lose together. The past three years were tough for me and for Honda. We are not title contenders today.
“We need to keep building the project to be more competitive. My ambition is the same as 2013, I am here to fight for the top positions. I will do whatever I can.
“I believe in the project, I believe in Honda. Last year Pecco started not so good, he had problems, but then we won many races in a row.”
Touching on the subject of Bagnaia and Ducati, Marquez was one of many riders who had no answer for the MotoGP champion’s pace in Sepang or Portimao.
Keen to point out Ducati’s superiority at this moment in time, Marquez said the step forward needed to match Bagnaia is even bigger than the one Honda needs to make in order to challenge all other Ducati riders.
“It’s obvious Ducati have a really strong package,” added the six-time premier class champion. “Pecco was the fastest on the grid, we are far from them, but even further from Pecco.
“We are working to be better in some areas, basically the same areas as last year. We are still investigating how to improve.”
2020 MotoGP champion Mir struggling to find the ‘last tenth’ after move from Suzuki to Honda
One of the big rider changes for this season was the addition of Joan Mir to Repsol Honda, after his former team Suzuki pulled out.
The Spaniard managed to get closer and closer to Marquez throughout pre-season testing, although finding the last bit of potential from his RC213V remains a challenge.
Speaking about his move and adaptation to Honda, Mir added: “To move to this team has been a big challenge. It’s something I was dreaming of for a long time. When you move to a bike which is different, at this high level, it’s difficult to find the last tenth. But this is what we’ve done. We have done a great job, I’m happy.
“We want to be closer to the top guys but that’s part of the process. When you have expectations, the most important thing is to be realistic with your feet on the ground. We made a big change with my career.
“Like with the last challenge, we need a little time to adapt. It needs evolution race-by-race. Every day I feel more adapted to this bike and I can give better information to the engineers to improve the package. I want to finish the season on top. To do that, we have to start by not being far.”
Keyword: Portimao MotoGP: Marc Marquez: ‘We win and we lose together’, still believes in Honda project