After winning his eighth World Championship, Marc Marquez looks back on an almost perfect season in which he took the MotoGP crown for the fourth time in a row.
Marc Marquez sank the # 8ball on the first attempt and won his sixth title in the premier class after a gripping victory in the last corner of the Thai GP. Fresh from his return to Europe, Marc Marquez sat down to discuss the 2019 season at the Repsol campus in Madrid, Spain.
How does it feel to come home with a new World Cup?
“I arrived in Spain last night and I am very happy not to be in my own house yet, but in my sporting home, because I’ve been with Repsol for many years. They have been with me throughout my career and I really appreciate them. It’s been an almost perfect year, but there is still room for improvement. A dream year where we won the title – that was the main goal – but we are very proud of how we achieved it. And I speak in the plural because I’m here, but my whole team, all the people around me who help me every day, are missing. “
How was the title party?
“The party went well, I still get my vote back! We celebrated the title the way it deserves to be celebrated because it’s a World Cup and you never know when that dream will end so you have to celebrate it to the full. We spent the night in Bangkok and had a good time with the whole team. I won’t give details, but there was dancing, shouting, partying – a little bit of everything. This time there was no karaoke, but it wasn’t necessary either. “
How was this season after the shoulder injury?
“It is clear that there are hard times and good times like these in an athlete’s life. Complicated situations make you strong and this winter was one of the toughest of my career because I couldn’t do what I love most in the world – ride a motorcycle. I couldn’t exercise because I needed the surgery, but I got over it with the help of all the people who pushed me. I made it to the first race, maybe not one hundred percent, but as good as I could. You always think that all of this work must have a reward. Once you start and see the results, it gives you even more strength. “
They said it was an almost perfect year. Why almost?
“Because when you have too much self-confidence, mistakes can happen. It happened in the race we least expected, which was Austin, where I fell when I was leading by four seconds. It was a seemingly achieved victory and as relaxed as I was, I fell. That is why you always have to be fully focused, you must not allow yourself to be confused and you have to learn from mistakes. It’s been a very good year, but that doesn’t mean we can stop working. “
You made your mother suffer a lot by risking the last corner. How did she react?
“Yes! I already made you pretty angry on Friday because we started the weekend with a big shock. You take the blow, but the people around you suffer a lot more. Both my mother and my father; the whole family They have been behind me for many years, they are the basis and if a four-year-old asks for a motorcycle and the father or mother does not give it to him, it is impossible to come here. But logically they have suffered for many years. “
Agostini has said he believes you can beat his 15 titles. How do you feel about it?
“I get on very well with him and have heard these statements. I don’t like the word impossible, I’ll never say it, but it’s almost impossible. It means winning twice what I’ve achieved so far. I’ve never been obsessed with a number or a name – I just enjoy my passion for racing. I am very happy that it is my job that I try to do my best. “
“Honda builds a motorcycle and the rider has to be able to adapt. There is a whole technical group behind us, they are human, and with the results of their work you have to know how to adapt and get the best out of every situation. “
-Marc Marquez, MotoGP World Champion 2019
You always say that thanks to your rivals, you are where you are. How much do you need Fabio Quartararo and a strong Jorge Lorenzo next season?
“The weaker the better! (laughs) We’re in an era in MotoGP where mechanical parity, even if the championship finals don’t reflect it, is one of the best ever. I say this because there are four factories that are capable of winning races and competing for a world championship. That means there are at least eight motorcycles with chances of winning races, and nothing like it has ever existed before. You need to know how to reinvent yourself, learn from veterans like Valentino [Rossi], Jorge or Dovi and also from young drivers like Fabio or Viñales. “
What can be improved this year?
“It’s been a very good year and it’s going to be difficult to improve. But one of my idols is Rafa Nadal and when you see him in a match and wonder what he can do better, he always takes a new step forward. Or when Messi scores one goal you think again that he can’t do it better and then he goes and scores another one that is better. I try to imitate them; they are constantly improving. I will try to learn from mistakes. Rivals will show you your level and there we will try to grow further. “
Would you dream of being champion by your brother’s side again?
“My brother works hard and has put together a very good year. He wins with a heart, but there are four races left in which he has to do his best and overcome the pressure. For my part, I won’t put more pressure on than he already has, but just help him enjoy it, stay focused and push as much as possible. If you try and it doesn’t work, you have a clear conscience. “
After the fall on Friday, did you think about slowing down? Why did you want to win the title in Thailand?
“I wanted to win the title in Thailand because it was the first match point. When you have a certain lead in the championship, you look for new motivations. I like to live in the present and go race after race. On the Thursday before the Grand Prix, I said that I wanted to win this weekend or at least try to do it. Then your rivals tell you whether you can or not, they’ll give you the answer right away. That’s why I tried to the last corner because it’s nicer to win the championship with a race win. As the season progresses, you build and understand that you can be a champion, and you have to look for the motivation to have that euphoria when you cross the finish line. “
What was the turning point of the season when you saw you could win the title?
“There were two important moments this year. The first was in Jerez, after Austin’s mistake, when we won exactly as we intended in Austin. There are 25 points, but you show your rivals that your confidence is the same, that the desire and mentality are the same. And the other was in Barcelona. We won the race and several competitors failed to score. That was a shame because it wasn’t my own mistake, but they were the turning points in this championship. “
Does Honda make a motorcycle for Marc Marquez or is Marc Marquez the rider who understands Honda best?
“Honda builds a motorcycle and the rider has to be able to adapt. The positive thing for our team and our structure is that the three riders who have the same bike are Jorge [Lorenzo], Cal [Crutchlow] and i have the same comments and feedback for evolution. There is a whole technical group behind us, they are human, and with the results of their work you have to know how to adapt and get the best out of every situation. “
What is your motivation for the four remaining races?
“The first goal I have in Japan is to try to finish the race because after I became champion I fell in the next race every year. I already said at Aragon that I wanted to try to finish on the podium in all the remaining races and it stays the same without forgetting that there is a constructors championship that we lead and also the team championship that Ducati leads now , but the Repsol Honda Team is only 19 points behind and we will keep pushing for it. “