Marquez had a huge high side in second practice session at Assen last Friday and injured his right ankle after a violent impact.
The accident was attributed to Honda’s electronics, with Marquez admitting that he was “angry” with the accident and had lost confidence in the motorcycle as a result.
But Honda responded immediately and introduced tweaks to the bike’s electronics that eventually gave Marquez his confidence.
Puig is confident that Assen would be a tougher challenge for both Marquez and Honda than the Sachsenring, where the six-time world champion won, and is confident that his driver could have battled for the podium again without his FP2 crash.
“Yes, the Sachsenring is a very suitable track for the Honda and also for Marc Marquez,” said Puig after the race in Assen.
“Marc had the chance there and he grabbed it with both hands. Assen has never been an easy track like this in the past and it was much more difficult for all Honda HRC drivers.
“We clearly understood that it wasn’t going to be easy before we got there.
“On Friday, Marc’s fall made the weekend even more complicated.
“Without this fall, he would have fought for the podium because he would not have lost his confidence.”
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda Team Team Principal Race
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marquez fell back into Q1 in Assen after having problems on Saturday morning and in FP3.
However, at the end of the first round, he jumped to 12th place and finished seventh. Marquez admitted that he finished the race physically better than he expected, despite the Assen course putting strain on his weak right shoulder.
“We saw a great recovery from Marc at the start of the race,” added Puig.
“He started 20th and won almost ten positions back in just one lap, that was the Marc we know.
“It shows his commitment and the potential that he has. We are very happy to see him back in Austria after the break, when he has recovered even further.”