Returning Marquez betting on himself for season opener

On the eve of the MotoGP season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar, six riders were asked about their championship predictions at the Lusail International Circuit on Thursday. While most of them, unsurprisingly, had put their money on themselves, Marc Marquez also held a placard with his name on it before saying it with a chuckle: “I always bet on myself. Even if I’m injured, I will bet on myself!”The Spaniard has endured a nightmare last couple of seasons but chose to see the funny side of it. The Honda rider suffered a broken arm from a crash, which cut short his 2020 season, before he was forced to miss the final two rounds of 2021 and sit on the sidelines for three months when a concussion suffered in a training accident left him with double vision issues due to nerve damage.During a period of uncertainty – in which he has three wins in 15 races out of a possible 32 starts – the 29-year-old also thought of calling it quits. But after a sufficient rest and a successful pre-season testing last month, Marquez is ready to challenge for the crown, which was won by Frenchman Fabio Quartararo in Yamaha last season.Marquez is also chasing retired Italian legend Valentino Rossi’s record of seven top-flight world titles. The Spaniard has six and if he can keep himself fit and avoid crashing his Honda often, he can fight for the title.“Yeah of course I’m happy to be here,” said Marquez yesterday. “It’s already better than last year and that’s important. After the winter it wasn’t clear but it was important to test in Malaysia and Mandalika, after Mandalika I felt a step with my physical condition and that’s important. Let’s see how to start the first race, for 2022 I want to fight all these guys for the title of course, maybe for the Qatar GP I’m not ready, during the weekend we will understand where we are,” he added.Marquez will be racing for the first time since 2019 in Qatar, a track where he has traditionally struggled and has won just once. While he is unsure of his victory this weekend at the Lusail International Circuit, he is hoping the revamped and much-improved RC213V can put him among the title challengers.“They took a big step on the bike,” said Marquez. “Honestly it feels like I changed the brand because it’s a completely different bike. Since I arrived in Honda there was always improvement but the character of the bike was always similar, but now it’s a big change. In Malaysia I struggled a bit but I felt the potential because in one lap the lap time was coming, but in Mandalika I was bringing the bike to my riding style already and I felt a step. During the first races we will find small things, but the base is nice, it’s good, and yeah let’s see in qualifying and race conditions where we are,” he said.Meanwhile, reigning champion Fabio Quartararo will head into the new season with a whole set of uncertainties. The 22-year-old became the first Frenchman to win the title last season, but things have been far from ideal in pre-season testing as he cut a dispirited figure due to the new bike’s lack of pace.Quartararo finished on the podium 10 times last year, with five race wins, to lift the title but he is worried about the lack of improvement in the Yamaha YZR-M1’s top speed.The signs were there last season when Quartararo struggled to keep up with the accelerating Ducatis as Italian Francesco Bagnaia won four of the last six races. To add to his problems on track, Quartararo is also out of contract at Yamaha at the end of this season as he chooses to keep his options ‘wide open.’“To be honest it’s great to be back and when the season is over, the weeks are going quickly, but when you’re close to riding in Qatar, the last week was long and it’s great to be here. I think pre-season was good, we expected a bit more top speed. It is what it is, we need to give 100% in any case. I’m ready and looking forward to starting tomorrow,” said Quartararo.With his rivals, especially Ducati, showing signs of improvement in pre-season testing, Quartararo braces for the toughest challenge to defend his world title. “It’s so difficult. Last year you could say five or six riders but now I could say anyone. Of course the guys that are here today, but it’s difficult to say a few. We will need to wait a little bit more to see the clear opponents,” he said.The strongest contender by sheer pace on the bike is Ducati’s Bagnaia. The last year’s runner-up is fresh off a new two-year deal that will take Bagnaia and Ducati to the end of the 2024 season. The 25-year-old will be aiming for Ducati’s first riders’ championship title since Casey Stoner dominated the grid in 2007.The Italian heads into round one at Lusail with Ducati’s all-new GP 22 bike possessing more power than its predecessor that was untouchable on the straights last year.“It’s always that Ducati looks the best but the last time they won was in 2007. It’s very difficult to say if another bike is better,” said Bagnaia. “I’m not saying Yamaha was better last year because Quartararo won. I think my bike and the bike in the last part of the season was the best one I tried, but I don’t know if it’s the best because I haven’t tried Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM or Honda. For me it’s the best bike, but I don’t know if it’s the best one (on the grid),” he said.As for Suzuki, the ever-consistent 2020 champion Joan Mir finished third last year and the Spaniard will be in the mix for the title once again.