After the Moto2 World Championship has been secured and his Moto3 World Championship title from 2014 has been supplemented, Alex Marquez is moving to the Repsol Honda Team in MotoGP for the 2020 season. Riding with eight-time world champion Marc Marquez, the rookie is ready to learn to adapt and compete for Rookie of the Year award. Alex Marquez wears the Repsol Honda Team Orange, Navy and White for the first time and outlines his ambitions for the year and what it feels like to step into the garage of MotoGP’s most famous team.
This is the first time you have worn Repsol Honda colors. What does that mean for you?
“Well, it’s a dream come true, it’s an incredible honor to have these colors on and this shirt on. I’m really excited about this opportunity to go to MotoGP with the Repsol Honda Team. I am really proud. It’s a new situation for me, I’m used to seeing Marc in these colors, but not me! It’s something special. “
What does it mean to you to be a newcomer to a historic team like the Repsol Honda Team?
“Well, I think for every rookie it is a dream or a goal to be on a works team. After winning the Moto2 championship, your goal or desire is to become a works rider. That has come true for me. It’s an honor to be on the Repsol Honda Team, a team with the greatest history in the MotoGP paddock. I know it’s a challenge, but it’s a nice challenge. From the first moment I said I wanted this opportunity 100% and now I’m trying to enjoy it. “
What is your goal for the season?
“I can say that I want to be the rookie of the year – that’s the first goal. But in order to set a goal for positions or something like that, I now focus on understanding the bike and having more feeling in order to build my confidence. Before the race in Qatar I will be able to see a little better what our actual position is and what we can do from the first race. “
What was it like to be in the Repsol Honda garage for the first time knowing you are a factory rider?
“It’s really something special. You have butterflies in your stomach when you put your leathers on, you walk in and you see your team and you know it’s your team. Both motorcycles sit there, it’s like a constant special feeling during the first test. Now in Malaysia I think everything will be better under control, less nervous and more relaxed, but the team has already helped me relax a lot in Jerez. “
You will be one of the greatest riders in MotoGP – do you think it can help you?
“Being tall can have a number of benefits, such as moving your body and using your weight. Maybe it’s a little easier in the wet, but maybe there are downsides and some things can be a little bit worse. But you know you have to live with it and be strong where you can and lose as little time as possible where you are weaker. “
You will be a newbie, but being a Repsol and HRC driver is nothing new to you. You are back to your past in the Spanish championship and Moto3. Have you ever imagined going back to Repsol and HRC?
“When you start out imagine that things like this can happen in your best dreams, but it’s difficult. There are many hours of training, many races, many things that can happen in a driver’s career. I already started with Repsol in the Spanish championship where we won in 2012 and it was really special. Then in 2014 we started a new project with the Honda Moto3 and the HRC, the factory was behind me and it was amazing to win the first year of the project this year. After all these years of dreaming back to Honda, I look forward to working with these amazing people, this factory and of course Repsol. “
It is the first time in history that two brothers have shared a garage in MotoGP.
“It’s a special moment, a special year, but we have to be natural and approach it like a normal situation. We know we are brothers, but within the team we have to be professional, we are different drivers. We all have our own teams so we have to work in our own way. For me, having a six-time MotoGP world champion in my garage is certainly an advantage as I can see a lot of data from him and see how I have to ride this Honda machine to find the secrets. So I’ll try to take all of the information from him and all of the Honda riders to learn as much as possible. “