MotoGP: Marquez ‘thought winning was impossible’

Newly crowned MotoGP world champion marc Marquez has admitted that he believed going into yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix that any chances of winning the crown would be impossible, especially with a strong Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo to hunt him down.

But with a rare double mistake from the Movistar Yamaha duo – the first time ever in their seven seasons as teammates that the pair has both failed to finish a race – meant that he now goes forward to the remaining three rounds of the series as champion.

“It’s incredible! Before the race I didn’t expect to be Champion, and I said that here it would be impossible. However, when I saw that Rossi was out of the race, I decided to push hard for the victory. I was riding my hardest, and when there were three laps to go, I read on my pit board that Lorenzo was also out; on that same lap, I made mistakes in four or five corners, as it was difficult to stay focused!

“I’m very happy because this title is very special considering some of the crashes I had last year, and also because it came at Motegi, Honda’s home. Honda has worked so hard this year, and you could see the fruits of that effort also at this track, where we’ve struggled in the past. I myself also improved during the season; for instance, I learned how to better use the front Michelin tyre.

“It has been a demanding year, but a fantastic one. It’s great for my team, and of course I don’t want to forget my grandmother, who passed away this year and would be very happy with this World Championship. Now we can just enjoy it and go into the last three races with maybe a more ‘Marc Marquez’ style.”