Marc Marquez has ramped up the psychological pressure on his MotoGP title rivals by claiming that his sternest opponent is his own body.
The factory Ducati rider has battled injuries for years, and still hasn’t fully recovered from the consequences of his fall in Indonesia last season.
But despite the state of his fitness, he is fifth in the world championship, 40 points behind leader Jorge Martin. And given his nine victories at the Sachsenring, he will go into this weekend’s German Grand Prix as favourite.
On the eve of the halfway point of the season, which will be followed by MotoGP’s summer break, Marquez was asked whom he saw as his biggest rival as several riders try to make a decisive move in the championship.
Rather than respectfully naming names, the wily Marquez hinted they would be powerless to stop him if he achieves full fitness in the second half of the season.
“My biggest rival – or what I’m more worried about – is my physical condition,” said the Catalan. “The rest, I don’t care. It’s true that they are super fast, but this is my main opponent – to continue growing my level in the next races.”
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Responding to a different question about his strategic approach to a championship fight involving so many riders, Marquez again said the battle was with himself rather than others.
“Of course, if a championship is open, it means that nobody has a clear advantage.” he said.
“In my opinion, for example, Marco Bezzecchi has been the fastest one during the first part of the season. But not the best one, because Jorge Martin is leading the championship.
“So, in the end, you need to approach [things] in a different way when you are fighting against one rider, or when you are fighting against four riders.
“But at the moment, my fight is another one. After the summer break, I will understand where I can arrive [finish the season].”
