MotoGP, Marquez: "I can't expect to come back and be the same Marc as before"

The new 2021 Hondas were presented today. After the unveiling of the satellite team, it was in fact Pol Espargarò and Marc Marquez who took the drapes off their new RC213Vs. The spotlight, of course, is on the 8-time World Champion who during the presentation also updated everyone on his recovery from injury.

"I am working step by step, I feel much better and the recovery is going well. Every time I go to the doctor there is good news and that is really important because last year was quite long and tough. Now I have to try and follow my body and try and increase a little bit the work at home. I don’t know when I will be ready to get back on the Honda but every week I feel better and I am optimistic to be on the bike as soon as possible. I miss the team a lot this year, it is the first time in my career that I have been six, seven, eight, nine months without a bike, the first time that I will ride I won't be 100%. It will be difficult to be the same Marc right away, maybe we need one race, two races or half a season. My main goal this year is to have fun on the bike, then step by step to get back to being fast. We have to understand that it will take time after a year to be the same Marc as before".

Alberto Puig also spoke about the conditions and the possible return of the champion from Cervera.

"Every day we learnt, not only in 2020, we know that in racing these things can happen but especially last year the situation was very complicated. For the team it was a very bad start of the season because we lost our top rider and champion, but smart people change a problem into an opportunity to learn and we want to believe that we learnt the whole year and this learning we will show in the future. Marc had a big injury last year, which took him out of racing for a long time. But you cannot change what you are. He’s a true champion and a very special rider. The only thing I know is that he will find the way to still be Marc Marquez and only this you can do by yourself. Of course the team will help him, we will support him 100% but the important thing is what he expects from himself. "