MotoGP: Alex Marquez: “I am a two-time World Champion, I know why I am here”

Alex Marquez has responded to critics who feel he does not deserve his coveted Repsol Honda ride.

Since signing the 1 year deal with Repsol Honda, Alex Marquez came under a lot of criticism, despite winning the Moto2 and Moto3 championship. He took a little while to get to grips with Moto2 but was able to do the business when it counted and win the championship, yet for some, this was not enough.

The Honda Repsol deal was not meant to happen, Jorge Lorenzo was supposed to race in 2020 and see out his Repsol Honda contract, however, an early retirement meant that a seat at Repsol Honda opened up and his Estrella Galicia Moto2 team released him from his contract to ride the most famous liveried MotoGP bike in history.

His first MotoGP races have been positive, making slow but sure progression, etching himself into the top 10 during races but qualifying very low down, including at Le Mans when he started the race from P18 before fighting his way through to P2.

This is not forgetting the fact that he has finished every single race of the season and is one of very few riders to do so this season with 3 x top 10 finishes to his name so far he is doing well. It is true that he is not his brother, who made history winning the MotoGP title as a rookie in 2013 and was the first rider to do so since the great King Kenny Roberts. But there’s no doubt that he’s something special and given time to grow and nourish at LCR Honda in 2021, he will be a front runner, that is a fact.

Addressing the comments he said, “In the end, I know why I am here and why I am wearing these colours, I am a two-time World Champion and I know why they promoted me to the Repsol Honda team. It was a strange situation because Lorenzo retired in the last race so it was difficult to take the decision and the team trusted me, so for that reason I have piece of mind as to why I’m am here.”

“The criticism is good sometimes, it gives you more motivation and gives you fire to keep going and believe in yourself. I agree with the critics because the performance is not what we expect, in qualifying especially I am not as fast as I want, but as for the move, I don’t care about the critics, I know why I am here.”

Featured image – www.motogp.com