MotoGP Mandalika: Marquez looking for ‘special feeling, everybody will be fast’

Marc Marquez is looking for more at Mandalika after a disappointing Qatar GP saw the Repsol Honda rider home in fifth.

A positive Saturday showing and front row start faded for the eight-time World Champion, with the RC213V having no answer as Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini powered by on his way to his debut victory on Sunday night. While HRC was represented on the Doha podium, it was teammate Pol Espargaro enjoying the celebrations rather the usual sight of Marquez.

“Basically in Qatar was a solid weekend, nothing really special but we were there, we were not so far from the top positions that was my target,” Marquez explained from Indonesia. “Of course I try. Of course I tried to be on the podium. Of course I try to follow Enea when he overtook me but was not the day, was not the time.

“Our target this weekend is try to improve the result from Qatar and then in Argentina try to improve the result from here but is step by step. I’m feeling good.

In Qatar race, 22 laps in a row was the best feeling I had during last two years!” he continued, on the ongoing recovery from injury that has plagued the Spaniard since 2020. “Let’s see how we can approach this weekend. Pol was the fastest one, so he will be one of the guys this weekend because was the fastest guy in the preseason test. Enea, Fabio and why not Brad that also is there. We will see, many new faces, but they are riding fast.

“In the Qatar race is where I really understand what I need, which needs to be the direction for my riding style,” Marquez said of his 2022 season so far. “In the test always it’s difficult, in practice always difficult because you do five laps, stop, laps, stop, but in 22 laps in a row you can understand, and following the others you can