Marquez: Honda adaptation smoother than expected
Honda's new MotoGP signing Alex Marquez says he was more comfortable with the RC213V bike than he expected to be in Valencia testing.
Marquez, drafted in to partner his brother Marc at Repsol Honda in place of the retiring Jorge Lorenzo, recovered from an early shunt in the two-day Valencia test to end up 22nd-fastest, two seconds down on pace-setter Maverick Vinales.
Honda's bike has a reputation for being particularly physical and unwieldy compared to its rivals' machines, but Marquez said he quickly felt at ease with the RC213V, albeit with the caveat that he wasn't anywhere near the limit.
Asked how his adaptation was going, he said: "Better than I expect, especially in the position side - Honda's a small bike but I feel comfortable on the bike already now. Still some improvement to do to be a little bit more comfortable, but really good, about position.
"Difficult or easy bike? I need to be more close, I need to find more the limits to say if it's an easy or difficult bike.
"At the moment I feel everything comfortable, everything good, so I need to keep going like this, keep improving, find the limits to know what I need to improve more."
Team boss Alberto Puig credited Marquez for bouncing back swiftly after his initial shunt.
"He was not super-fast, but at least he was making constant progress to understand the bike," Puig added, speaking to motogp.com.
"I think he didn't want to push maybe too much, to avoid a crash. The guy is listening, the guy has a lot of interest to learn - it's what we expected."
Marquez said he was trying to learn from all the riders he ran with on track during the two-day test.
These riders included his six-time MotoGP champion brother, who followed his teammate for a stretch during the second day.
"He's riding not so bad," Marc said of Alex, speaking to MotoGP.com. "At the moment [he's] struggling where is the most difficult point with Honda bike, that is the last part on the brakes.
"It's there where I crashed many times, where Cal [Crutchlow] crashed many times, it's the most critical point. But yeah, it takes time, of course."
Additional reporting to Matteo Nugnes
Share Or Save This Story
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
Ducati confident of Marc Marquez’s abilities as Davide Tardozzi shares recovery update
Why Marc Marquez collapsed after his Le Mans MotoGP crash: “I’m racing with one and a half arms”
The uncomfortable questions posed by Marc Marquez’s recent MotoGP form
Joan Mir announces Honda exit as he feels he “doesn’t deserve” silence over MotoGP future
Alberto Puig to step down as HRC team manager in 2027, take on advisory role
Joan Mir interview: Crashes, Honda and his future in MotoGP
Lando Norris eyes Le Mans drive as McLaren endurance push heats up
Official Coca-Cola 600 entry list released, Katherine Legge locked in
Toto Wolff keeps Mercedes grounded ahead of crucial Canadian GP upgrades
Kyle Kirkwood “here to win” Indy 500, not think championship
Why the Catalan GP chaos may finally force MotoGP riders to unite
What we learned from MotoGP's wretched Catalan GP
As Marquez sinks and Martin surges, Bezzecchi knows exactly who to beat for the MotoGP title
Five things we learned at the MotoGP French Grand Prix
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments