Marquez: Qatar ‘a difficult track for us historically, will be a tough weekend’

After a truly dismal Malaysian MotoGP for all its riders, Honda head to a circuit that has traditionally been one of its toughest, even when they were winning title after title. 

Pol Espargaro nearly became a race winner for the factory team at Losail in 2022, while Marquez also enjoyed success at the Qatari circuit, but Ducati and Yamaha in particular have enjoyed more success of late.

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Only 13th in Sepang, Marquez expects another tough outing in what is his penultimate race as a Honda rider.

“Second last race of the year but the focus is still the same, we keep on working until the end,” said Marquez. 

“Historically Qatar has been a difficult track for us with the layout and everything, so I think again it will be a bit of a tougher weekend. 

“With the new surface, some things can certainly change so we have to spend Friday understanding how this has changed the situation. We will see what’s possible.”

While Marquez suffered a disappointing weekend last time out, it was even worse for team-mate Joan Mir who crashed in both races.

Mir’s fall took the Japanese manufacturer’s crash tally to 50 for the season which is a new record for a brand in one year.

“We will keep working, keep pushing and keep racing until the very last lap in Valencia,” began the 2020 world champion. 

“This weekend is no different. For me personally, I’ve had some decent results in Qatar in the past and there’s a new surface with all the changes so it will be interesting to ride the Honda there. It’s another weekend to learn as much as we can.”