Can you be old at 28? The answer is no, of course, but you can be the oldest during a MotoGP press conference. That happened to Marquez in Jerez when he found himself next to Pedro Acosta, the 16-year-old baby phenomenon, and his colleagues in the premier class, all younger than Marc.
“There is a generation change, that is normal, in sport as in life – commented the Spanish master – A lot of young talents come along, but I’m only 28, I still feel young and have the motivation to keep going and I want to learn from them. It was not easy to start racing again after such a long time and I have seen some riders change their style and some bikes have improved a lot. I still feel competitive, but I know the day will come when we have to accept that there will be others who are better than me. When I don’t feel competitive enough to win, it is better to stay home because I am here to win.
That day is still a long way off and now Marquez has other thoughts on his mind. The most important thing is to get back in the best physical condition to express yourself the way he can on the bike.
“From Portimao to here, I’ve only trained a little in the gym, just a little bit of cycling, but always relaxed because after Portimao my body has been asking for relaxation, because one thing is the bones, the arm, the muscles. The other thing is that I am still on a lot of antibiotics and it takes time to recover. It’s hard to feel like this at 28, but I know we’ll get away from antibiotics soon and everything will be easier. “
Meanwhile he used his free time to study his last race …
“I saw that my position on the bike was not the right one, especially in the right-hand corners – he admitted – in fact, I had a lot of struggles in the last two. I know it’s hard to say, but these are my winter tests, I need kilometers on the bike ”.
And also to understand how the RC213V has changed in its absence.
“Honda is working on new things, but right now I feel like the limit is not the bike, but my physical condition – said Marc – Here in Jerez I will start with a motorcycle very similar to the one in Portimao, then I have to understand how I will feel. If I’m fine, I might try something new or compare it with the old parts, otherwise I’ll just drive a lap. I know Honda have been without a win for a long time, but they are doing everything they can to get back to the top as soon as possible.
Marquez was also talking about a hot topic these days: social networks. A subject that has received a lot of attention following Vinales’ decision to delete his Twitter account after being the protagonist of a fraud.
“Social media are the present and the future, they can be very positive or negative. They allow you to be closer to your fans, but I hate that there can be fake accounts. In the end, I don’t waste too much time doing this, I have a person who works for me and warns me when there is something important. I have removed them from my life since 2015 – he remembered the year of the collision with Valentino – Or rather, they are still there, but I spend less time with them. I know that a lot of people only follow MotoGP on social media, I like being able to have a special relationship with my fans. Of course there are haters too, but I don’t care ”.