Marquez: Our opponents will give answers

Marc Marquez says he’ll continue to assess his rivals’ pace to plot his victory charge at the Malaysian MotoGP, as he shrugs off a potentially record-breaking weekend.

The 2019 MotoGP world champion has lifted Repsol Honda to just one point behind Ducati in the teams’ standings as he looks to secure the final leg of the Triple Crown alongside the riders’ and constructors’ titles.

Having moved ahead of Mick Doohan on the all-time premier class wins list thanks to his 55^th victory, making him Honda’s most successful rider in the top category, Marquez has moved on to 11 wins for the season which is a feat he’s only surpassed once before (13 wins in both 2014).

His Phillip Island triumph, seeing off another final-lap duel this time against Maverick Vinales, also sees his winning run extend to five races which is another achievement he hasn’t reached since 2014.

With Marquez also in reach of the all-time MotoGP points record for a single season, currently held by Jorge Lorenzo when he notched up 383 points in 2010, the 26-year-old only needs to finish in seventh place or better in Sepang to capture another record.

But with his focus remaining on winning races to help Repsol Honda capture the teams’ world title, Marquez has dismissed his current run as an afterthought.

“I didn’t change the strategy even when I was fighting for the championship so the strategy will be the same here,” Marquez said. “It is true that I can be the rider that scores more points in 18 races but it is a record that we will only remember if someone comes close to beat again. I don’t care about this record.

“We will just keep the same mentality and try to finish on the podium in these last two races but my target is to try to win. Our opponents will give the answer during the weekend to see if it is possible to win or not.”

Marquez anticipates being a member of the group of riders fighting for victory at Sepang, having claimed victory in Malaysia back in 2014 and 2018 in MotoGP, but has played down Honda’s stronger engine as a definite advantage having seen Ducati struggle last year despite topping the speed traps.

“On the paper if we check this year’s bike, last year we won the race so we can say it should be better,” Marquez said, having profited from Valentino Rossi crashing from the lead with four laps to go in 2018. “Better means from more speed as we have a better engine with these two long straights.

“But then if we check the papers too last year on the podium was a Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha. The fastest bike on the straights was Ducati which were not on the podium.

“This will be a difficult weekend with the weather and trying to understand track conditions from the morning to the afternoon but we will try to be in the top positions in all practice sessions and in all conditions. Then let’s see on Sunday if we can fight for the victory.”

Ducati were caught out in the hot and slippery track conditions at Sepang 12 months ago with Andrea Dovizioso in sixth place leading home a quartet of Ducati riders.