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MotoGP, Marc Marquez: I'd give myself 9 and a half this year

Marc the day after: "I don't yet feel like a grown man, but still a boy, with so much still to do"

Marc Marquez: I'd give myself 9 and a half this year

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The day after and surprise gives way to realisation. Marquez can reflect on this recent masterpiece, the world title (his third in four years in MotoGP) scored at Motegi. The fruit of a season that he managed perfectly, though it was not an easy result to achieve.

You’ve won three World MotoGP titles in four years. What would you answer to those who think it has been easy?

“Said like that, it’s true that one could think it was easy, but it hasn’t been the case at all and every year has been very different. This is a sport where not everything depends on oneself. There are a lot of factors at play, from the bike, to the factory, to the team, and everyone must be at 100 per cent, which isn’t easy. I learned a lot last year because I made many mistakes and it cost me the title, but I’m sure that next year will be different again.”

This year we saw many spectacular “saves”. How many were there that we didn’t see?

“Even in Sunday’s race I had one save at turn three that wasn’t shown on TV, where I thought I was down but actually saved it. What’s certain is that on TV you only see the most spectacular ones but there are many others, particularly during practices, because I’ve been looking for the limit many times in those sessions in order to be safer during races.”

Six zeroes last year, this year none: How did you change yourself in order to regain the throne?

“I tried to learn from last year and to use that experience, but it’s all relative because it also depends on how one’s season begins. If you start the year well, it’s much easier to manage. When you make a mistake at the beginning, your Championship becomes an uphill climb, and that forces you to risk more.”

You’re just 23 years old, but you already have a lot of experience. Do you feel old?

“‘Old’ isn’t the word! I still feel like I’m a boy, not yet a grown man! I’m still learning and I have many things to do in my career, in my life. We’re all human and maybe I’ll make more mistakes or repeat the same mistakes, but it’s true that year-by-year I’m getting more experience, not only on track, but also outside the paddock. I feel I’ve grown in these matters.”

Where can you still improve?

“Not in a lot of things this year, as it’s been a great year. You always have weak points that you may improve, but if I have to give myself a grade I would say 9.5. The half-point off might be because of Le Mans. I made a mistake where I should’ve avoided it. Another mistake was to push too much where I shouldn’t have, like at Silverstone, even if I managed to save it."

What does pressure mean for Marc Márquez?

“It’s difficult to explain, but it’s something that makes you insecure, that gives you doubts, makes you tense. It’s something that wears you out mentally and physically, and you finish the weekend completely destroyed. Since all this tension just sucks so much energy out of you, you have to manage it. I’m very lucky to have a big family in the paddock, my team that helps me to disconnect when we’re not just thinking about racing, and this helps me to stay relaxed.”

How do you feel about winning the title with three races to go during such a challenging season?

“It’s a strange feeling because I wasn’t expecting it. We thought we would arrive at Valencia with the target of keeping the title chances open. If you tell someone that hasn’t been following MotoGP this year that we won with three races to go he would think that it was an easy victory, but it’s been the opposite! This year has been tough, with moments where I couldn’t see myself as Champion, but we’ve been getting points race by race, being constant while our competitors made some mistakes. I know that the mistakes happen for a reason; when a rider is able to keep a strong pace and put pressure on the others, it increases the possibility that the others will make mistakes.”

How important have the new rules been this season?

“At the beginning of the season they were a big problem for us and the winter tests were complicated. I asked Honda to show everyone how it is able to react to challenges, because we were so far from our top level."

After a challenging pre-season, did you ever think that the title would be impossible this year?

“It’s very important to have confidence and faith! Many people in the paddock were saying that winning the title this season was almost impossible but I felt very motivated at that moment because my belief is that nothing is impossible."

If you have to pick up one race in the last nine years, what would it be?

“The race that I can’t forget is Valencia 2013, when I was fighting for the MotoGP title for the first time and I was at home, but there’s another race that I experienced from the outside but I felt as if I were racing myself. Again, it was at Valencia, but in 2014 when my brother won the Moto3 title. I don’t know why, but I have it stamped in my mind, all every moment, all the passes.”

One last thing... describe the perfect Sunday if there’s not a Grand Prix.

“I love spending them on the sofa [laughs], watching the Spanish Championship, MXGP, whatever, and in the afternoon maybe watching a football match, definitely one with Barça! We’re always traveling around the world, so when you’re at home you just want to rest and recharge the batteries.”

Marc Marquez e Shuhei Nakamoto

Translated by Heather Watson
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