While everyone places him as the big favorite, Marc Márquez is once again playing feint at the start of his defense of the MotoGP title. He had not said much until now, but on the verge of the start of the track activity this Friday he recognized some weakness on the physical level. The Spanish driver, who broke a bone and several ligaments in his right clavicle a little over four months ago at the Indonesian GP, pointed out that he does not know the limit of his bruised arm. The lack of strength has forced him to modify aspects of his driving.
“The injury in Indonesia raises doubts in me and, without a doubt, it was not a joke. I need more time to understand the limits and I hope to have room for improvement. Right now I don’t know what 100% of my right arm will be because it was difficult to evaluate it,” commented the Catalan, who has just turned 33 years old. Since 2020, Márquez has accumulated seven surgical operations on his right arm, which he almost had to remove. Despite having suffered another tough preseason, with canceled vacations and additional work in the gym, the Cervera driver remains motivated to fight for the title. “If I appear in the group photo it is to fight for the title. With these colors, you have to go out and fight for the championship,” he remarked in the first official press conference of the championship. Optimistic, he hopes to go from less to more this campaign.
At his side, and last year’s third place finisher, the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), were also very cautious. Nobody wants to show off their cards yet. They are called to be his biggest rivals for the crown, although Marc also places his garage partner Pecco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta (KTM) from Murcia on the list. “The race weekend will show us where each of us are, and in three or four grand prix it will be clear what we can aspire to. For me, regularity will be key,” argued the youngest of the family saga, who this year will have the same machine as his brother.
The best three from last year placed the title. All rogues, none of them named the winner, although Marc assured that he would be very happy if his name was Álex. “Let everything stay in Cervera,” they both said, flashing a smile. Bezzecchi surprised by not being included in the Top 5. “I prefer to keep my feet on the ground,” reasoned the Italian. “The first objective is to start stronger than last year, where we did not manage to achieve the results we wanted. Hopefully, if everything goes as we want, we will be able to change our objective soon and aspire to fight for the title,” added the Aprilia mainstay.
Nobody in the paddock He trusts the weakness that 93 pointed out, no matter how much he insisted on the changes he had to make to his bike to feel confident. “One of my abilities is to adapt, so I will try to take advantage of it,” he said after revealing that he will ride with the aerodynamics from two seasons ago, which allows him to turn the bike more without straining his body so much. As if the doubts about his arm were not enough, gastroenteritis has been bothering his recovery and toning program since last weekend.
Márquez has several championship records on the horizon. , a crown that would equal the Italian Giacomo Agostini at the top of MotoGP. It would also be his tenth World Cup title, a figure that would place him above other icons such as Valentino Rossi, Mike Hailwood and Carlo Ubbiali. This same weekend, a victory in the inaugural grand prix of the course would give him his 100th victory in the competition, a figure that was previously only achieved by Agostini and Rossi. When asked about these milestones, he said he felt completely satisfied with what he had achieved so far: “I have already surpassed myself.”
