The Marc Marquez comment which hints at Honda heartbreak
Before the race started at Silverstone, he was asked by TNT Sports’ Michael Laverty on the grid: “There is potential for a flag-to-flag race today, you are the best in the world that we’ve ever seen at that. Are you hoping for a little bit of rainfall?”
Marquez replied: “I was the best…”
"I was the best."
— MotoGP on TNT Sports (@motogpontnt) August 6, 2023
This isn't the Marc Márquez we know - a sign of his mental state? #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/RaknCenbUY
It was a fairly surprising comment for the Repsol Honda star to make, particularly considering he is usually forthright about his brutal mentality on the track.
It suggested a newfound softness which is a major worry for Marquez and Honda.
He reiterated his commitment to the Japanese manufacturer for 2024, despite the rumours continually circulating he might quit and head elsewhere in the desperate search for a competitive bike.
Honda’s bad couple of years sunk to a new low at Silverstone.
Marquez and Repsol Honda teammate Joan Mir both failed to finish the race.
It means that, combined, they have completed just one MotoGP grand prix in the entirety of 2023. That was the first round in Portimao, when Mir came 11th.
It’s a shocking statistic for the team who delivered the 2019 MotoGP championship.
When you add in Alex Rins’ swift exit - after just half-a-season including a shock Grand Prix of Americas victory and a broken leg, he has confirmed that he’s going to Yamaha for 2024 - Honda are in a mess.
Marquez cut a completely different figure at Silverstone.
Perhaps his newfound attitude to happily blend into the middle pack is a sensible ploy. He insists that his priority for the rest of 2023 is to develop a bike capable of then challenging at the front in 2024.
On Saturday he even admitted to waiting for teammate Mir to “understand” how their machines were working.
But it’s pretty remarkable to hear a warrior like Marquez speak like he did at Silverstone, with resignation. There was somewhat of a white flag waved - however correct he may be to do so, it’s shocking to witness.
Maybe this attitude was reserved just for Marquez’s first weekend back after the summer break, after a punishing period of crashes and injuries which battered his already-depleted body.
His legions of fans will hope to see him fight with more ambition sooner rather than later.
Or maybe his throwaway comment to TNT Sports on the starting grid - “I was the best - hints at a deeper problem.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
