Marquez: We lost our way at Sepang

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has confirmed Honda had been in a precarious position regarding its new RC213V after the opening pre-season test in Sepang.

February's Malaysian outing was the Spaniard's first ride since undergoing major shoulder surgery on November 27.

Marquez revealed that the cornering difficulties with the new bike were wrongly assumed to be down to the weakness in his healing shoulder, despite LCR's Cal Crutchlow making clear on numerous occasions that the new bike was harder to turn.

"The pre-season was very interesting because honestly speaking we lost our way a little bit in the Malaysia test, because I and the team admit [we thought the cornering] problems arouse because of my physical condition," Marquez told the official MotoGP website.

"I would come in and say 'okay, maybe it's the shoulder' [but] the bike was so heavy to turn in the right corners, the fast corners... Then we arrived in Qatar and my condition was better but the [cornering] problem was still the same."

Now certain the bike was the problem but with just days to go until the end of pre-season testing, HRC pulled out a range of ideas for Marquez to try, including re-fitting some 2019 parts (such as the fairing).

It worked, just in time.

"We tried some package from 2019 bike and we started to analyse all the situation, trying to find the problem and honestly speaking the last day was when [we were finally ready] to start the season in a good way," Marquez said.

"We would like to be in a better level, but we are not bad at all, to fight for the podium in the first race."

The coronavirus meant that first race still hasn't happened and, with half the season already postponed, Marquez's chances of a seventh premier-class crown could come down to a 'shootout' held over ten races at best.

"If we have a shorter season it will be difficult because you need to take risks, but you cannot miss any races or lose [big] points because you will not have time to recover those points," Marquez said.

"But of course if you just try to finish races it will not be the way [to score enough points] because it’s just a short season. Anyway, I'm not thinking a lot about it yet, when we will have a calendar then we will analyse and come up with the strategy."