Marquez: Honda always the main priority

Marc Marquez has said Honda was always the “main priority” when weighing up his future options, and claimed extending his contract with the manufacturer with whom he has won four MotoGP world championships was the “only option.”

A two-year contract extension between the 25-year old and HRC was announced last week, meaning Marquez will remain with the Repsol Honda team until 2020.

The deal, which is rumoured to make the 25-year old the highest paid rider on the grid as of ‘19, was struck once Marquez saw the progress over the winter months, with the latest RC213V a clear improvement on what he rode to world championship success last November.

“Of course, we already spoke a few months ago with Honda,” Marquez said on Thursday. “But I was waiting a little bit to see how we started the preseason, how we start everything, especially how was the team, and we feel good, everything is fine.

“So in the end, if I follow myself, as I said, Honda will always be the main priority, and it was the only option. We spoke with them, we were happy, both sides, and we just signed until 2020, so really happy to be on the same team that gave me the opportunity to become a MotoGP rider.”

On the final day in Thailand, Marquez had claimed, “What makes me more happy, is the factory is working really quick. This year I feel like the atmosphere is different and this is something really positive,” which suggested this was another reason for signing.

Pressed on the specifics of his salary, Marquez would not reveal any numbers, but said the deal ticked all the boxes: team, bike and “professional part.”

“Of course this is confidential, but yes, both sides, we were happy,” he said. “I'm happy in every part. Of course, we can say that on the team, bike but also on the professional part.”

Marquez was speaking at the end of the first day of testing in Qatar, where he placed tenth on the time sheets, 0.492s back of pace setter Maverick Viñales.

“Still we need to keep improving and try to find a few things,” he said. “Malaysia and Buriram there were special conditions. Here it's completely different, this is a circuit where we normally struggle.

“But anyway, I feel not so bad, we have some weak points, but we improved a few points today, so tomorrow we will continue on the same plan, and try to be competitive of course, and try to be constant every racetrack.

“Today was a little bit tricky, on the first day, you have to understand the track, how to improve, check the set up, and of course the tyre allocation, you need to control it well, to understand it.

“I am always riding with the hard front option, and we don't have many tyres, if we want to test well tomorrow and on the last day. So today just we found the way, found the rhythm, and tomorrow we will start to work more deeply on the details with the tyres that I hope that I like, because today I didn't try them.”

In the face of strong lap times and relentless consistency, Marquez had continually urged caution at Sepang and the Chang International Circuit, stating the unique conditions found there – hot and humid – were not always the best to judge a new engine’s character.

However, Thursday suggested Honda’s riders were all in good shape, and the six-time world champion feels the engine is already “inside the parameters” and closer to what he requires.

“Today we concentrated a little bit more on the engine, because it was the way to ride, to understand. I started during the daytime and it was not so bad, but then when the night arrived, and the temperature dropped, it becomes more and more aggressive.

“Then we started to work well, and we found something that already helps me. Still not 100%, but on the good way.

“Last year I was behind, I was struggling a lot, and today I felt better. We will see how we keep improving, because sure the others will improve. But anyway, I feel it's more inside the parameters, bike balance, everything is more inside what we want.

“Maybe if you look at the results, Qatar is not one of the best circuits for us, but anyway, I like it, I enjoy it. So we will see tomorrow, and the last day. Of course it looks like here all Yamaha riders are quite strong,

“Anyway it's the first day, we need to wait, we need to find the set up, we need to work a lot on the electronics to work on the base set up and then tomorrow we will start to go more deep in a few details.”