Marquez: My 2019 MotoGP domination 'far away', Quartararo, Bagnaia 'very fast'

Having seen his title chances ruined by arm, shoulder and eye problems for the last two years, Marc Marquez feels ready to fight the new generation of MotoGP stars for the 2022 crown.

But the Spaniard admits he is currently "far away" from the dominance seen during the 2019 season, when he won his eighth world championship by a colossal margin of 151-points (the equivalent of six race wins).

"During 2020 when I was at home and 2021, which was a very difficult season but was getting better in the end, it's true that you start to understand what you [achieved]," Marquez said.

"Because you feel it's difficult to be fast and consistent at every race track, in every condition, not falling on Sundays. I tried to analyse how I did all these things, because now I feel like I need time and need to improve a lot if I want to repeat it.

"Of course, I feel like I can fight for the [2022] championship but win it with over 100 points advantage like I did before? We are very far from that.

"Now everything is very close between all the riders. We cannot say one rider makes the difference a lot like for example four years ago. But it will be interesting.

“Two riders that will be very, very fast are Quartararo and Bagnaia. These two rode very well last year, especially Bagnaia who ended the season in a good way. We need to understand the level of the Ducati bike.

"Apart from that I just want to concentrate in my box… First of all, I need to regain the special feeling on my bike. It's a compromise between the physical condition plus the feeling with the bike. Already in the last races of 2021 I started to feel that special feeling, still not perfect but I started to be more and more competitive.

"This will be the target in 2022, find the feeling. If you find the special feeling the results will arrive soon.”

Just a few weeks ago, Marquez wouldn't have said he had a shot at this year's title. Off a motorcycle for over two months due to the double vision problems, his condition finally improved and he was passed fit to return at last week's Sepang test,

"Two weeks ago my goal was not the championship, because I was still injured and even not training," he said.

“Last year was a very special situation [with the arm] and then this year was also a very critical situation [with the eye] in the wintertime but luckily, the doctors, everybody who helped me to arrive already in the first test – it was a big surprise.

"Because you know it was a critical situation with double vision and nobody knew what will happen but, in the end, I followed the advice of the doctors, and everything goes in a perfect way.

"Malaysia was the last re-check that everything was okay. The doctors said it will not be a problem, but I had doubts. Then Malaysia was okay, I still need more laps and need to feel more fresh on the bike, but this will arrive. So from that point I said, 'okay, why not? [the title]'

"We will start the season from the first race and if you are in the Repsol Honda team you must fight for the championship."

With his vision restored, Marquez's 'focus' is now on general physical fitness and avoiding last year's pain in his right shoulder.

"What we understood last year and especially this winter is that I had a limitation in this shoulder," Marquez confirmed. "So now we are organising in a different way the rehabilitation and for recovery after each race and in preparation for the GPs.

"We are trying to organise all these things because I know that if the pain stays down all season, it's not a problem for me. I will need to make some sacrifices and not do things in my normal way, but I will do everything to be fit all the season.

"I will not approach the season thinking about my limitations. I know that if I'm ready and I work well in these next two months I will not have a limitation to ride the bike.

"So I will approach the season thinking about my performance and the performance of the bike and working with the team to fight for the title."

While impact injuries have always been a part of motorcycle racing, the current crop of competitors also face the added stress of missing races just by failing a Covid test.

Marquez, 29 later this month, revealed he had caught Covid over the winter and hopes MotoGP will be able to move away from the current protocols soon.

"I [caught] Covid this winter and it was like a 'flu but it's true that now with all the protocols [tests] we need to take care," he said. "But it will be difficult sometimes because now we are start with the sponsor events and some interviews again.

"Life is coming back to normal and i think sooner or later the championship needs to move also to a more normal way, because like this it will be more fair for everyone.

"If not, like we saw in the Malaysia test already, some mechanics – not from Honda - are still there [after testing positive]. But we hope for the general world that everyone comes back to normal and looks like we are on the way."

The last time a rider other than Marquez won a MotoGP race was Cal Crutchlow, early in the 2018 campaign. Since then, and despite missing 17 races over the last two season, Marquez has won 23 times.

Current team-mate Pol Espargaro joined Repsol Honda for the start of last season, but could only manage one pole and podium on his way to twelfth in the standings as he struggled with the RCV's lack of rear grip.

“It’s true that my team-mate Pol last year had some ups and downs, he achieved one pole position but then some races was very far from the top group," Marquez said. "I mean he will be fast, of course he’s a good rider and he will be fast.

"It’s true that if the bike improves a bit all of the Honda riders will improve too but already in the last part of the season in Portimao Alex did a good race, in Valencia Pol was injured but he was very fast in practice.

"Will be interesting to understand the level of our bike and it’s true that I also expect a competitive Pol.”

Marquez also repeated that he always wants "the strongest opponent as my team-mate because then I know I have the same tools. I've never blocked any rider, like for example when Lorenzo arrived, in the past Pedrosa, now Pol. Because it's not my decision. It's Honda's decision.

"I know that HRC will try to have the best team. Always I will respect that decision. it doesn't matter who is my team-mate, my work in the garage will be the same."

Marquez is signed until the end of 2024 while the other three Honda MotoGP seats are currently up for grabs in 2023.

The final MotoGP pre-season test of the year starts at Mandalika on Friday.