Alex Marquez is eyeing rookie honours in his debut MotoGP season with Honda as he talks about being one of the tallest riders in 2020.
Following the departure of Jorge Lorenzo, Honda signed 2019 Moto2 champion Marquez to partner his brother Marc from 2020 onward in MotoGP. The Spaniard was officially unveiled in the Japanese manufacturer’s colours on Thursday evening.
Speaking about his first MotoGP season, Marquez is looking to secure the rookie honours where he will be up against Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona. “I can say that I want to be the Rookie of the Year – that’s the first goal,” he said.
“Right now, I am focused on understanding the bike and aiming to have more feeling to build my confidence. Before the Qatar race, I will be able to see a little better what our real position is and what we can do from the first race.
“It’s a dream come true. It’s an incredible honour to have Honda colours on and to have this shirt on. I’m really happy with this opportunity to go to MotoGP with the Repsol Honda Team. I’m really proud. It’s a new situation for me.
“I’m used to seeing Marc in these colours, but not me! It’s special.” Adding more about racing alongside his brother, Marquez stated: “It’s a special moment, a special year but we need to be natural and approach it like a normal situation.
“We know we are brothers but inside the team we need to be professional as we are different riders. We each have our own teams, so we need to work in our own way. For sure, it’s an advantage to have a six-time MotoGP world champion in my garage.
“It is because I can see a lot of data from him and see how I need to ride this Honda machine to help find the secrets. I will try to take all the information from him and all the Honda riders to try and learn as much as possible.”
After his success with Honda in Moto3, where they won the title together in 2014 in their first year itself, Marquez rode the Kalex machine in Moto2 and so 2020 MotoGP season will see a welcome return for the Spaniard with the Japanese manufacturer.
Meanwhile, at 5ft 11inches, Marquez will be one of the tallest on the MotoGP grid in 2020, which he feels will advantage in some way. “Being tall can have some advantages such as moving the body and how you can use your weight,” he said.
“Maybe in the wet, it’s a bit easier however there are disadvantages and some things can be a little bit worse. You need to live with this and be strong where you can and lose as little time as possible where you are weaker.”
The New Year started on a sad note for MotoGP paddock
