Spanish pilot Alex Márquez, 2019 Moto2 World Champion, has met with the press in Madrid where he has looked back at his triumphant season. Alex has also explained his unexpected jump to MotoGP, as well as his first sensations on top the HRC Honda, team where he will team-up with his brother, the Moto GP six-time champion. Finally, he has talked about his objectives for next season where, he said, he will not be pressured by the team.

Despite those words, the long shadow cast by his brother Marc, together with the fact that he has only been given a one year contract, means this will be the ultimate test for Alex. On top of this, he should also be able to tame the wild Japanese bike that has retired Jorge Lorenzo.

The press conference has started with enquiries about his unexpected signing with Honda. In just one week his objectives have changed from defending the Moto 2 title next year to debuting in the Queen Category.

The negotiations happened so fast that Alex didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye in Valencia to those who have been his companions for the past five years. Also, he could not be at the Repsol Honda box during the first training sessions in Cheste, neither he could get to start working with the technical staff that will make up his team in 2020.

Alex has then gone on to describe his sensations after his first contact with the Honda bike during the post-season trials in Cheste and Jerez: “The first two tests have gone better than expected. The truth is that I was worried about the ergonomics of the Honda, which is smaller. However, from the first trial, I felt comfortable”.

“The fall I had was the result of my inexperience. It was as if it was welcoming me into MotoGP” – said Alex – “Later on, in Jerez, I felt better and I was able to work with my team in the garage. The two days in which I tried the new tire it started to rain. But in Sepang, I will have two more days that I will try to take advantage of. In each stint, I have made progress”.

He has also spoken about his feelings sharing the track with his brother Marc, who has already said that he would not give his sibling any concession: “Being with all the drivers is special. You try to learn the most from them. It is true that I have been lucky to coincide with Marc on two occasions. It is special and strange at the same time. It is a dream come true although there are many more to fulfil”.

The youngest of the Márquez brothers has also acknowledged that he has asked for some advice from the eight-time champion: “I asked him about every doubt that comes up about Moto GP. Although he has already told me that he will not explain many things and that he has seen I am fast in some curves. Receiving a lot of information, in the end, could be worse. Also, everyone has to walk their own path”.

The #73 has also stated that in the aforementioned trials he has begun adapting to his MotoGP bike. He has not, however, yet rode the actual machine that he will be using in the next championship: 

“It didn’t make sense to try the 2020 bike now. For now, I’m trying to understand what I should do and what do I need in order to ride fast and evolve as a pilot. It is clear that I must improve in all facets”.

In relation to the RC213V beast, he had this to say: “they say that the Honda is a critical motorcycle to which I must adapt. When I explore its limits, the problems will arise and I will be able to say if it is or not ”.

Despite having both the bike and the winning pilot in his team he says he doesn’t feel pressured for it: “I feel the responsibility that comes with any opportunity because you always have to defend the team as well as possible. But they have put no pressure on me, they have told me to try to be myself and to evolve. ”

Finally, he has analyzed the key aspects of his success in conquering the Moto2 crown: “As everyone was so close, regularity was the key, to not make a mistake. In Jerez, I fell and did not score, but the attitude of the team repairing the bike so fast, made me see that if we give it everything, we could win. And from Le Mans, we won three races in a row and realized the potential we had”.

Images of Alex Márquez: Estrella Galicia