'Why not Brad Binder?' - Marc Marquez lists rivals

Espargaro and Marquez head into this weekend’s first ever Mandalika MotoGP as the only teammates to have secured a top five finish in Qatar. 

Espargaro, who led all-but five laps of the season opener, has found an immediate affection for Honda’s revolutionised 2022 RC213V, a bike Marquez has also claimed to be the Japanese manufacturer’s best in years. 

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So with that comes obvious expectations, which is precisely why Espargaro was asked whether a first MotoGP win could be on the agenda this weekend. 

Speaking in the pre-event press conference, Espargaro said: "No pressure then [laughs]. It was good in the pre-season here. I enjoyed this place and the first, second and third day was good even if the heat was not easy to handle. 

"But you know, I was not the only fast rider. Enea [Bastianini] was very fast, Marc [Marquez] was very fast and Fabio [Quartararo] was very fast. 

"The Ducati’s were not super fast; the factory guys, but for sure they are going to be solving their problems from Qatar. I expect it to be a tight race and hopefully we can be there as well."

When discussing potential rivals for Sunday’s Grand Prix win, like Espargaro, Marquez rattled off a long list of names, including the top two from Qatar, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder.

The opening round of 2022 is the best Marquez claims to have felt over race distance in the last two seasons, that’s despite being unable to fight for victory, something that could well change this weekend given his impressive record of winning at new circuits. 

Marquez added: "The Qatar race was the best feeling I’ve had during the last two years. Let’s see how we can approach this weekend. 

"Pol [Espargaro] was the fastest (pre-season test) so he will be one of the guys this weekend, as will Enea [Bastianini], Fabio [Quartararo] and why not Brad [Binder] can also be there. There are many new faces but they are riding fast. 

"In the Qatar race I really understood what I need, what direction I need for my riding style. 

"In a test it’s always difficult, in a practice it’s also difficult because you do five laps then stop. But with 22 laps in a row you can understand, also following the others you can understand which points you are losing. 

"We understand a little bit more now and we start here trying to find the way. We know our base setting is working well."