WHY HE CAN…
He’s got all the momentum
He is the reigning champion and still very much seen as the only person his opponents need to beat if they want to be world champion. Dominant last season, it has to be demoralising to line up against the five-time MotoGP champion knowing just how hard he is to defeat.
That momentum continues into his garage as well, with the 26-year-old surrounded by an incredibly loyal team headed up by crew chief Santi Hernandez. Being Honda’s number one rider, Marquez gets what he wants from HRC, meaning that he’s very much in a position to develop the bike to suit himself... or at least will be as long as team-mate Lorenzo isn’t winning.
He’s unbelievably talented
There’s one thing about Marc Marquez that’s hard to deny: he is supremely talented on a motorcycle. It’s often said that every generation or so a rider comes along who elevates the whole game and Marquez has done just that. Taking over from fellow Repsol Honda riders Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan before him, he’s brought a new style of riding, commitment and audacity to the championship.
His ability to make incredible saves time and time again shows just how much control he has as he practises pushing to the limit and pulling it back again. As he’s gained that experience and learned to tame his talent, his consistency has improved. Crashing less and less and scoring more and more points means that he’s generally got something left in the bag when he needs it.
There’s a new team-mate to motivate him
The first rider you’ve got to beat is your team-mate and Marc Marquez’s new team-mate for
2019 is the only man ever to beat him to the title:
Jorge Lorenzo.
And that means he’s going to have a harder time with the five-time world champion than he ever had with perfect team-mate
Dani Pedrosa, the only other rider he’s ever shared a garage with in his
MotoGP career.
While insiders aren’t quite expecting the same fireworks that dominated Lorenzo’s relationship with Valentino Rossi, the two will no doubt push each other and there are sure to be spats and fall-outs during the year. If we’ve learned anything from Marquez’s fiery and difficult relationship with Rossi, though, it’s that any action Lorenzo takes against him is likely to just motivate him more.