Even though he broke a three-year pole-sitting streak at Motegi on Saturday, Marc Marquez indicates the Japanese Grand Prix is “not the time” to consider trying to win a comeback MotoGP race.
The Honda racer won a postponed rainy qualifying session in Japan by more than two tenths to take the pole position for the first MotoGP race since the 2019 Motegi event 1071 days ago.
Marquez had to miss three months between the Italian GP and the Aragon round previous weekend due to a fourth serious surgery on the right arm he severely injured in 2020. He is still working to regain his physical health.
The Japanese Grand Prix is likely to be dry on Sunday, and Marquez doesn’t believe he will be able to keep his right shoulder strong enough to compete for the podium.
When questioned if he was prepared to lead on Sunday, Marquez responded, “No. I mean, tomorrow we will come back to our natural place right now.
“Of course, I would like to be on top, of course I would like to fight for the podium, for top five. But it’s not the time, this is what I believe.
“Always when I have a small chance I will try because I’m like this and my character is the same as when I arrived in MotoGP.
“But tomorrow will be a very long race. I already felt on Friday that here I will struggle to be consistent and attacking all the laps.”
Honda hasn’t won a race since Pol Espargaro won the qualifying at Silverstone last year, and Marquez’s pole at Motegi is the first since that time.
Honda “needs these minor accomplishments” to be motivated for 2023, says Marquez, who is eager to minimize the importance of his comeback pole.
“It’s only a pole position, it’s in the wet,” he added.
“But in the situation we are in right now with the team, with Honda, struggling a lot this 2022, it’s a really good news for us because we need these small achievements, these small motivations and this fresh air inside the box is what we need.
“It was the time to do it, especially when in FP2 I was riding in easy mode and the lap time was coming, I said ‘ok, if it’s wet in the afternoon I had a big chance’.
“I tried to attack and I did a good lap – I didn’t exaggerate it, but it was enough to be on pole position. Sometimes in the wet when you exaggerate you go slower.”
The six-time MotoGP race winner confessed that riding in the way he preferred on Saturday in Japan was the first time since breaking his arm.
“In wet conditions, today was the first day that I rode the bike like I like,” he said.
“I mean, last year on wet I was competitive but I was riding in a strange way and I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike.
“And I didn’t understand how the lap time was coming. But today I confirmed my arm position was in a perfect way, and I was able to brake like I wanted, go in and pick up the bike and I’m very happy for that.
“Why I can ride in wet conditions better than dry? It’s because the effort on the muscles is less, and then I can keep my arm in the position that I like.
“Then in dry conditions it’s more difficult, I’m still not ready to attack all the laps. And in the wet, the weak points of the bike is less.”
Below are some of the most well-known MOTOGP riders’ uniforms, all of which are available at reasonable costs. Visit our link now if you are interested in the racing clothing collection:
Honda, Marc Marquez, Motegi, MOTO, Moto racing, Motocross, MotoGP, MotoGP Japanese GP
