Marc Márquez: "This year we have to talk about the title, that's the dream"

The pilot insists that his "DNA and style are the same as when he was 20 years old": "The goal is to take Honda together where we left off"

   MADRID, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) reiterated this Wednesday that the new season is "the biggest challenge" of his career, after three "tough" years, so he has to "talk about the title" as an "illusion" for 2023 and "take Honda where it deserves" and left it, "together" and "committed."

"We have to live with the pressure, especially if you have a winning mentality, the pressure makes you get one more point. Last year I missed the pressure and I put pressure on myself, thinking about realistic results. The World Cup has not started, but history Everything about this team says it all, we have to talk about the title. That's the dream," Márquez told the media, during the presentation of the new Repsol Honda Team, with Joan Mir as his boxing partner.

At the event, held at the Repsol Campus in Madrid, the eight-time world champion confessed that recovering his level and getting back into the ointment is "the biggest challenge" of his sports career. "After being in glory I was thinking about retiring, and now I'm back. The mentality is that of a winner to try to fight for the title, although you have to be realistic. I try to work hard to achieve the objectives, and if not in 2023 , in 2024. I have a two-year contract," said the man from Cervera.

Márquez deepened his relationship with Honda in recent years, and this 'tug of war' with the factory to demand a competitive motorcycle. "You have to understand when you press or not, there are times when you have to tighten the rope, but there has always been a commitment from both parties," he said. "My patience is great and it will be recharged until mathematically there are no options. I have a two-year contract to take Honda where we left off and where it deserves," he repeated.

"Honda and I have respect for each other, we know when to say things to each other's faces. I want the best from Honda and I push them to win with them. They also believe that you have to push, it's a time to be passionate and be together. I'm committed to return to the top", wished the 30-year-old pilot. However, he revealed that he "wouldn't know where to put Honda" on the grid now. "If we work well in Portimao, we will be among the five favourites", he predicted.

And to return to the top, after three years plagued by injuries, operations and incidents in the form of falls, Márquez is clear that his "style and DNA" are non-negotiable. "They are still the same as when he was 20 years old," he emphasized, although he also gave his baggage space in the competition. "Experience adds up and I must know how to use it, it will be an intense championship, with many points at stake. You have to be intense, now we will have more strategy options, but the mentality is to go out and drive on instinct, as in recent years", he assured .

"If you stop prioritizing the sporting side and the competition, the results will never come. I have made decisions to fight for a title, the fun is very good, but what I am passionate about is the competition", he stressed about whether he would make all to lift his ninth world title.

In addition, he took the opportunity to praise his new partner, Joan Mir, 2020 MotoGP champion with Suzuki. "He is very talented, he is always fast, he is skilled. He will be a great competitor, a strong teammate who I hope will also make me grow. It is the law of life, here you will always have strong teammates and winners, this increases the level within the box" , celebrated about his new competition.

Finally, he gave his opinion on the new competition format, with sprint races that will distribute more points, in a new weekend structure that gives more prominence to Fridays. "They will be intense weekends, when there is a big change, perhaps there will be adaptations," he said.