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Marc Marquez insists his brother Alex’s demotion from the factory Honda MotoGP team to LCR is “a very good move” for the younger Marquez.
Alex Marquez won the 2019 Moto2 title and was handed a works Honda ride at late notice as a replacement for the retiring Jorge Lorenzo.
However, he is now guaranteed to lose that ride at the end of the year to KTM’s Pol Espargaro, and will instead line up as a factory-supported LCR rider for the two following seasons.
Honda team manager Alberto Puig suggested that such a move would be beneficial for Alex Marquez as it would shield him from the “massive pressure” that comes with being in the factory team.
It was suggested that signing a replacement for the rookie before he’d even contested a MotoGP race would not sit well with his all-conquering brother, who has won six of the last seven premier-class titles and has just signed a bumper new four-year deal with Honda.
However, speaking in a press conference ahead of the delayed start to the 2020 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez indicated that he agreed with his employer’s reasoning.
“Of course, always I respect Honda’s decisions because they try to choose the best decision for the team and for the rider,” Marquez said.
“The special moment that we lived in Valencia with Jorge [deciding to retire], of course then Honda was looking at the best rider available and [that] was the world champion of Moto2, was Alex.
“Next year he will be at LCR, that I think is a very good move for him, because being in the [factory] Repsol Honda team means being on the podium.
“For a rookie rider, a normal rookie rider, the normal step is to start with a team like LCR, and good for him that [it] will be with all the support from HRC [Honda Racing Corporation].”
Marquez said he was kept informed of Honda’s decisions for 2021 before they were made public, and stressed that he would never look to exert his influence within the team when it came to who it chooses for the other RC213V bike.
“If we speak with Honda, I can say ‘no, I want another one’ but this is something I will never do,” he said.
“It’s the second bike that all the riders on the grid can take. It’s a Honda decision and I respect them. But of course I know, they inform me before the rumours already, and I accept.
“It’s what I say, I have my career and this year my team-mate is my brother but on track he’s the world champion of Moto2.
“Honda think that they will bring the opportunities to him in the LCR team and of course I’m happy with this decision and I’m happy for my brother. It’s a normal decision.
“And Pol will also be a strong team-mate, because he’s coming to Honda to fight for the podiums and to fight for the victories, because if not, it’s no sense.”
The reshuffling that has placed Espargaro at Honda and the younger Marquez at LCR has also meant there was no place left in Honda’s set-up for Cal Crutchlow.
“Of course Cal gave many inputs to Honda, to HRC, he has been many many years in HRC family with all the official support,” Marquez commented.
“It’s a Honda decision but of course always it’s sad when you see that somebody is moving from the team, but in this case it’s my brother [who is replacing him] so it’s OK.”
