Honda not expecting Marquez to repeat 2014 MotoGP domination
The Honda MotoGP team has no expectation that Marc Marquez will be able to repeat his 2014 domination and expects a closer fight with Yamaha in '15
Marquez won the first 10 races of the 2014 campaign to open up a vast championship lead, and ultimately claimed a record 13 victories from 18 grands prix.
Team boss Livio Suppo said Honda was thankful that Marquez had been in place to slot straight in after Casey Stoner's abrupt retirement at the end of 2012, but said there would be no panic if the scale of domination seen in early '14 proved to be the peak.
"With Marquez it will be difficult to repeat," Suppo said.
"Ten out of 10 is something really, really, really difficult.
"We've been very lucky to lose Casey and immediately find another super talent like this."
Suppo feels Yamaha's return to form in late-2014 - when Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo won four of the last six races between them - was more likely to set the tone for next year, with a much closer battle in prospect.
"Even if the season with Marc has looked easy, we know that the level of competition is very high," he said.
"It's enough to see the second half of the season from Jorge, where he's done an unbelievably good job, and also Valentino has done something unbelievable.
"We know the competition is very tough."
Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis feels his men will be able to match Marquez from the outset in 2015.
"What we need to do is maintain the momentum, because you can't afford to let up," he said.
"When you've got someone as strong as Marc is at the moment, you've got to hit the ground running at the very first test, at the very first grand prix.
"It's going to be an incredible season in my opinion, and hopefully there will be a blue one up there at the end."
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