Marquez: Signing four-year Honda MotoGP deal “was not a mistake”

The eight-time world champion has yet to see a chequered flag in a grand prix in 2023 and has scored just 15 points from the opening six rounds – though he did miss three with injury.

Having crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, Marquez admitted that the constant falls he was suffering on the troubled 2023 Honda were “difficult on the mental side”.

Despite talks that Marquez should extract himself from the massive four-year deal he signed with Honda at the start of 2020 and which expires next season, he insists that there are no regrets about inking that contract as he couldn’t have foreseen what unfolded next.

FEATURE: What Autosport said about Marquez’s four-year Honda deal at the time

“In that moment it was not a mistake, and still I believe it was not a mistake especially because I couldn’t have imagined that I would have broken my arm, that I would have four surgeries on my humerus,” he said on Thursday ahead of the German GP, an event he is unbeaten at in his premier class career.

“I didn’t imagine there would be a pandemic; I didn’t imagine that pandemic would affect Asia more than Europe.

“All these things you cannot control. So, from that, of course the target of those four years was to win four championships.

“At the moment we didn’t achieve this. Now we have another problem, which is to try to be competitive again and try to be consistent in all racetracks and riding in a good, safe way. That’s what we are looking for.”

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Honda stablemates Alex Rins and Joan Mir are not in attendance at the Sachsenring after suffering injury in crashes at Mugello, with the former out indefinitely after badly fracturing his right leg.

Asked if he was concerned about sustaining another serious injury because of a Honda crash, Marquez replied: “I’m not worried about another injury. If you are, you are not fast on the racetrack.

“But it’s true that the risk and the way we are riding now, I feel ready to ride. For example, last year I was not ready to attack. Now I’m ready to attack and I’m riding well.

“I feel ready to be there, but it’s true that I override sometimes. In Le Mans it was normal because I was pushing for the podium, and just I was pushing too much.

“But in Mugello I was very comfortable. I was controlling myself because I chose that soft rear option, I was controlling the gas, all the situations to finish the race in the top six, top seven. But anyway, I crashed and I didn’t expect it.”

Marquez had a meeting with senior Honda management during the Italian GP weekend about the marque’s current problems and says it needs to react soon.

“It’s not the first meeting I have with HRC, but was an important meeting because it was [Shinji] Aoyama-san, [Koji] Watanabe-san, who are some of the biggest bosses in HRC,” he added.

“The meeting was important; the feeling was good in the meeting.

“But now of course in the future, but not the far future, we need some reaction [from Honda].

“We have very good riders in Honda, and we need something more to fight for the top positions.”

Marquez also admitted requested upgrades from Honda prior to Mugello now likely won’t be ready until after the summer break.