Marquez: 2020 starts in Motegi

After wrapping up the 2019 MotoGP world title, Marc Marquez says he will split his focus on early preparations for his 2020 championship defence along with aiming to clinch the teams’ and constructors’ crowns this year.

The Repsol Honda rider has sealed this year’s riders’ world championship with four races to spare, starting this weekend with Honda’s home round at Motegi, and is eager to maintain his momentum in a dominant campaign which has already seen him take nine race wins.

Reflecting on previous triumphs, Marquez accepts his motivation can often dip after clinching the world title early but wants to avoid the same fate by keeping clear targets for the remainder of the season and into 2020.

“These last races our intention, our ambitions and our mentality is the same,” Marquez said. “It is true that when you win the championship for some reason your body switches off one light, I mean if you had five lights it switches off one light. But we will try to change this way and we will try to push.

“One of the targets is to try to win the Triple Crown. In the constructors’ we are there but the teams’ championship it will be difficult. We never give up so now we will celebrate but the start of 2020 will be in Motegi.”

Marquez also has the opportunity to beat his previous most dominant MotoGP campaign when in 2014 he won 13 races to end the year with 362 points.

The 26-year-old currently has 325 points with nine wins, and while he can equal his record victories in a single season by winning all four races remaining in 2019, he only needs to average sixth place finishes to surpass his personal points record.

While Honda look odds-on to secure the constructors’ world title this year, thanks to a 77-point advantage over Ducati, Repsol Honda currently trails the factory Ducati squad by 19 points in the teams’ standings.