Home » News » MotoGP Test Qatar J3, Marc Márquez (7 / Honda): “I found my bike, we understood everything”

MotoGP Test Qatar J3, Marc Márquez (7 / Honda): “I found my bike, we understood everything”

Rarely have we seen such unrest in the Repsol Honda box. For little, we would have seen all the RC213V in the history of Marc Márquez in a team with which he signed recently until 2024 … A 2019 version was taken from the LCR box of Nakagami, solutions dating back to 2017 had been dusted to understand how to advance the 2020 opus. And it is in this state that Honda will approach the season, from March 6 in Qatar … Or almost!

Marc Marquez does not hide the crisis situation currently experienced at Honda: ” we were completely lost on sundayHey “Admitted the eight-time World Champion. That’s why he tested the aerodynamic package for the 2019 MotoGP season on Monday at Losail. ” It was an intense day. We tried to analyze everything that had changed compared to the previous year, including tires, aerodynamics, chassis, engine. We tested some parts from 2019 with the new motorcycle. It was a mix of things, including the aerodynamic package. It wasn’t just one thing, it was four or five. It was about finding out where the problem was, and we found it. It was the most important thing of the whole preseason, not just the day of test. “

The 27-year-old Spaniard, who finished seventh with a difference of 0.291 seconds on the Yamaha of Viñales, was noticeably relieved Monday evening: “ I am very happy. To be honest, on Sunday and the first day, the situation worried me a lot, technically and physically. We have taken a big step, we have understood many, many things. You could see that in the rhythm and the lap time, everything was easier. The bike was also less demanding for my physical conditionifthan.

Marc Marquez is convinced that his colleagues at the brand will also benefit from the new discoveries: ” we worked a lot on my side, the entire workforce was focused on me. Cal then tried things we found, and it seems better for him too. He made a big step and I believe that if all the Honda pilots take this path, they will also progress. I think we have found the direction. It was the most important thing. Because we were completely lost.

I was worried for two reasons: because we weren’t fast enough and because I had completely lost my sense of the bike, and I didn’t understand why , said the six-time MotoGP world champion. ” I had a strange crash in Malaysia, then a strange crash here and I didn’t understand anything. I thought it was because of my physical condition, but then I saw that all the Honda riders had problems. Not only my teammate, who is a rookie, but also Cal, who has a lot of experience. But we understood everything. I want to thank Honda, the whole team and all the mechanics for their excellent work.

Márquez is cautiously optimistic about the first Grand Prix of the season, which will take place on March 8 at the Losail international circuit: “ if we had raced on Monday, we would have been ready for eighth, ninth or tenth place. But we are ready, maybe not to fight for victory because we still have problems here in Qatar, but at least we are ready. I still trust the bike, I still feel it is my bike. And I had fun, that was not the case for the first two days. Again, we found our way to Qatar on the last day, I think it was already the case in 2016. That’s where the little smile on my face comes from “Smiles Marc, who warned at the same time:” but it’s also true that we still have a lot to do because the pace of the others seems good.

What will these last minute solutions give to the next Qatar Grand Prix? Answer on March 8…

MotoGP Test Qatar J3: times

Combined classification J1 / J2 / J3:

Rankings credit: MotoGP.com

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