Marquez hopes to bounce back in Catalan MotoGP

Bengaluru, June 15: As the MotoGP caravan moves to Catalunya, Spain, it was time for world champion Marc Marquez and fellow riders to talk about Barcelona and beyond.

The Catalan GP begins with Free Practice on Friday(June 15), before the race starts on Sunday at 2pm local time (5.30pm IST).

Marquez knows the Circuit de Catalunya inside out. The Spaniard, who leads the FIM MotoGP World Championship standings with 95 points sounded upbeat about his prospects in the Catalan GP, after a rather difficult outing in the previous Grand Prix in Mugello, where he crashed, allowing compatriot Jorge Lorenzo to notch up his first victory of the season.

"Mugello was a difficult weekend for us," said the reigning champion.

"But it normally is a bit. We were struggling a lot with the front tyre there, and I wasn't able to manage it well or in the right way in the race."

"Here in the test, I felt good and confident. I know it's not one of the best tracks for me, but still I've finished on the podium a few times from 125 to MotoGP," the Repsol Honda rider added.

The talk moved to the biggest headline of the week; Lorenzo was confirmed at Repsol Honda from 2019. Marquez admitted it will be a big change - but that he's happy he's on the inside, not facing it down from the outside.

"It will be a big change inside Honda, a new team-mate and riding style. I've learned a lot from Dani when I arrived, he was riding the Honda so well. But Jorge is a strong team-mate and we'll try to learn from him because he's a completely different riding style. But I'm happy I'm inside the team, although he'll be tough to beat!"

Power up!! 🧢👕@FanClubMM93 #CatalanGP pic.twitter.com/fJ09mQeULY

— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) June 14, 2018

Marquez also went back to that point, and reiterated that he's eager to learn from the five-time world champion who'll be arriving next year.

"When another rider arrives in the box you can compare styles. It will be interesting to see how it works with a different style. From the outside you can see a few things but when you have the data it's easier! But he'll be a strong teammate. Dani has been strong, Cal is strong, and the best thing for Honda is to have that, " Marquez concluded.