Marquez: Honda has been a difficult bike but a winner, potential is there

Marc Marquez heads into the first back-to-back MotoGP races this weekend since making his return at Portimao. 

Catalunya will be the second home GP of the season for Marquez following Jerez last month. The Spaniard's last two results were consecutive DNF’s in Le Mans and Mugello. 

And while the Marquez we’ve seen in 2021 hasn’t been the winning machine we became accustomed to which was expected, the 28 year-old sees signs that the current Honda package can be ‘a winner’. 

Marquez said: "Of course, Honda in the last years has been a difficult bike but a winner bike. And I think that now it’s in the same level more or less. It’s a difficult bike, we have some weak points but the potential I believe is there. 

"The fact that last year I was not on track and even Cal [Crutchlow] was on track but not at a very, very good level - so maybe we lose there one year to continue the development and to keep the same level as our opponents. 

"But Honda is working very hard to try to improve, to try and give all the riders a good bike, a better bike and an easier bike."

The eight-time world champion also discussed his fitness levels changing from one day to the next when riding, along with not fully understanding the package that’s underneath him. 

"Since I came back it has been, and is difficult to understand what’s going on in the track and on the bike. I mean, I start a little bit with the setup or with the new items that Honda and all of the riders make last year," added Marquez. 

"But then I was riding the bike and I didn’t understand nothing. I come back to my standard bike, the bike that I race in 2020 in Jerez. It was better, but still I didn’t understand. 

"So then I say ‘I need kilometers’, and by kilometers and changing a lot the bike and just riding I keep improving tenth by tenth, but especially I feel a lot if I'm riding fresh or riding tired. 

"It’s something that in the past normally during the weekend you don’t feel. You are able to ride the same way from FP1 to the race, and now during the weekend I feel I’m riding in a different way from one day to the other one."