Alex Marquez insists his success in the Moto2 World Championship was the defining factor in securing him a spot in the Repsol Honda team alongside his brother Marc Marquez for the 2020 MotoGP World Championship, but insists his revered name carries added pressure.
The Spaniard was set to defend his Moto2 title in 2020 ahead of a probable switch to MotoGP in 2021 but was poached earlier than expected when Jorge Lorenzo unexpectedly retired on the eve of the 2019 finale.
Signed alongside his brother and six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc, Alex made his debut with the title-winning team during post-season testing at Valencia and Jerez.
It is a deal that has raised eyebrows in that it places the two brothers in the same camp with many commenting it was made possible by Marc’s intervention at a time when Johann Zarco was originally tipped as the more likely recipient.
However, Alex dismisses that notion, suggesting that coming into the factory Honda team alongside his brother instead heightens the expectations and places more pressure on himself – and Marc - to succeed.
“Without that [becoming Moto2 champion], my name would not have been raised,” he told AS. “There were more inconveniences than advantages for being Marc's brother, for fear of distracting him.
“If I have to show more, or faster than others, or that I am questioned more. But it is something that I have learned over time to live with, because at the beginning it was difficult for me, when you are younger it is difficult to assimilate everything that people say.
“I have learned to live with it and it is something that does not even bother me, it is indifferent to me. It is clear that I will have pressure.
“It is an opportunity that I know what it entails, all the pressure. In the end being a MotoGP rider involves all that, but more if you are in a team like the Repsol Honda. It is an opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime. When I said that I did not care about the pressure, the media or whatever, I only think about trying to seize the opportunity and learn. It is the best.”
He also says he won’t be given an easier time on track if they are racing with one another, adding that he doesn’t expect any ‘freebies’.
“That is unlikely. Marc doesn't like to lose even the marbles, so how will a MotoGP race or a title let me win? I would never do something like that. Marc is a predator. He wants to win forever.”
