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It wasn’t enough for Alex Marquez to have won two world titles and be able to avoid having to hear his brother's name constantly mentioned along with his. Yet, the Spanish rider has demonstrated that he knows how to win and, in 2020, his first year in the MotoGP, he also satisfied his desire to get on the podium twice. For 2021, he was put on the LCR team, but he never complained about it and continued to work full force. The season didn’t go as he expected, but now is the time to start over, forget what was, and take advantage of Honda’s new bike.
Alex, what kind of year will 2022 be for you?
"There’s new hope, a year of opportunity in which Honda made some very big changes. I also asked the team for some, and Lucio gave me his support. Now my crew chief is David Garcia. Up until last year he was my telemetrist, while Bifi (ed. Christophe Bourguignon) will be the chief engineer. It was something I wanted. I really believe in David. I think I have everything I need to have a good season and in a calmer situation."
How difficult was it for you last year to switch from the factory Honda team to LCR?
"The natural path to take wasn’t to go from Moto2 to the factory team. It was a special occasion. Lorenzo had decided to retire in Valencia, nobody knew anything about that. I was world champion, and they asked me. Logically, I went,” he laughed. “It was an opportunity that I wanted, but I also understood when they asked me to change teams. It was a bit strange because it happened during the pandemic, without having even done one race, but my contract didn't change, and it was a good opportunity."
Is your goal to return to the official team? They always talk about Mir or Quartararo and never about you...
"I like working in the shadows, I don't like being talked about much. I prefer to work a lot, and then be a surprise, so that they’ll say, ‘but where did this bastard come from?'" he chuckled. “I really like this, and that's what I did in the Moto2. It’s normal for them to talk about Mir and Quartararo, two world champions. I only got two podiums in the MotoGP, and last year wasn’t easy for me. Here, we live in the present, not in the past, and my present wasn’t great. I work to make my dream come true. It’s clear that the goal of all riders is to get into a factory team, but I’m really happy with where I am now. I have a special relationship with the team."
Your brother Marc is now a symbol for Honda. You’re also very attached to the Japanese constructor since the Moto3. Would you like to continue like this for your entire career or would you be willing to change?
“I’m a Honda rider now, and I can’t know the future. I’ve always felt appreciated by Honda, since the Moto3. Being Marc's brother, I’ve always had a special relationship with his team and the Japanese technicians. In the end, I’m me and Marc is Marc, he can always change everything. I've liked Honda since I was little, when I saw Criville, Doohan, Pedrosa win, but the future is open. I’m happy here, but you never know what will happen, and I work to be in the right place at all times."
When do you like the RC213V 2022?
"For a very new bike, it honestly does better than I expected. It was fast in Misano, when Marc and Pol had tried it, in Jerez when Nakagami and I had tried it, and again in Malaysia. It’s obviously a fast bike, but I think it’s too early to say that everything is great. I prefer to think that there will come a time when we’ll have to work hard. For the moment, I really like it. But we’re not entirely familiar with it yet."
Does it suit your riding style better or worse?
“It’s better for me. When I made the leap from the Moto3 to the Moto2, for example, I struggled a lot, because I didn't have rear grip and couldn't ride as I liked. I was also able to be fast with the old Honda, which rides a lot with the front but, for my natural riding style, this bike, which has more rear grip and less movement, is better. In the race, however, you don't have to be comfortable on the bike but fast. If you have to work hard to do it, that's okay. We still have to wait but, with this bike, it seems like I can be more comfortable and faster than before."
