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Doctors and the Honda team put Marc Márquez’s career in jeopardy this year. The future can be complicated.
Dr. Xavier Mir and his doctors at the Dexeus Clinic like to be the center of attention. They were celebrated as heroes in public in July when they put Marc Márquez back together after breaking his arm on July 19 and the MotoGP world champion returned to his factory Honda four days later.
Today we know: these doctors not only made medical mistakes, they encouraged the injured person to return too soon (six days after the accident) and thus possibly ruined one of the best sports careers ever. It has not only generated millions of income for Marc Márquez (he should earn 20 to 25 million euros annually in HRC in the four years from 2021 to 2024), but also millions of motorsport fans around the world indefinitely or even for always. deluded from his spectacular appearances.
The affected gods dressed in white have disappeared. Your colleagues in Madrid are now trying to save what can be saved.
First speculation in August
In mid-August, I heard from a trusted member of the official Yamaha team that Marc Márquez would no longer drive in 2020 and possibly never again in his life.
At that time I discarded this information under the term “illusions.” I thought: With competition that has been humiliated for years, desire is the father of thought.
On the other hand, I remembered the saying: “Bad news travels fast.”
However, I did not publish this information at the time. I don’t even want to imagine what storm of outrage would have turned against me back then. Because some fans only believe what the teams officially admit or announce. But these particular communications must often be treated with caution.
Honda, in terms of communication anyway, not on a world-class level, later only came out piecemeal with the truth regarding the superstar. Especially since the disturbing news from Spain was always somehow transmitted to the media, from the manager of Márquez, Alzamora, the team, the family, the doctors, the fellow drivers.
In August, Repsol-Honda announced that Marc would not be back for two or three months. The rubble has never been mentioned until today. It happened when the patio door was opened, and while many fans still don’t believe it, yes, it was a domestic accident that led to the second operation.
Substitute driver Stefan Bradl was only called up for one race, HRC never denied Márquez’s comeback in Catalunya at the end of September or in Aragon in October. For a long time it was clear that the Catalan still could not master a motorcycle. Soon he even gave up racing cycling.
But Honda didn’t serve pure wine to the public for months.
I doubt that such an odd approach is in the interest of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.
Instead of the blackout, Honda executives should have faced reality earlier, consulted new medical experts and scheduled the third operation two months earlier. Regardless, there was nothing else to gain in the 2020 season.
Deceived fans
HRC’s managers have yet to understand that the money for their motorsport operations in the day-to-day business is generated in the first place by the sale of motorized two-wheelers. And they did not understand that the media and fans do not like to be permanently misled and that their approach is detrimental to the business of all importers and distributors.
I don’t even want to talk about the lack of sporting success.
For years, it was clear to anyone who was half-alert that HRC’s driving policy was completely geared toward Marc Márquez. Cal Crutchlow was the second best Honda rider with the same equipment and lost 287 points to the World Champion in 2019.
But due to the sheer number of victories and titles won, the fact that the MotoGP youth development program failed was neglected, even though Honda was still operating two customer teams (Marc VDS and LCR) in 2018. But Bradl, Morbidelli, Miller and also Nakagami (in the first two years) could not develop properly at HRC.
That was not only due to the riders, but also to the bikes.
Due to the unsuccessful talent promotion, HRC talents such as Joan Mir, Alex Rins and Maverick Viñales were overlooked. Either they didn’t want to go to Honda or Honda underestimated their skills.
Instead of a talent, five-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo was hired for 2019 and released again after a year. Alex Márquez was later promoted to the Repsol team, but was rejected again before the first race and was replaced by Pol Espargaró for the next two years.
But Marc Márquez whitewashed all these deficiencies, the criticisms were not well received. It was perceived as an insult to the majesty.
At the second Jerez GP in July, team principal Alberto Puig was asked if Honda hadn’t put too much focus on Marquez and therefore never bothered to make the RC213V controllable to other riders. He angrily replies that everything was done well. “We have won seven drivers’ titles in seven years, so we have the best motorcycle. There is nothing more to say “.
He refrained from asking such questions and even forgot to win the 2015 Yamaha title amid the excitement.
In September, the annoying Puig spun after no 2020 factory Honda had made it into the top ten multiple times: “We don’t have a problem with the motorcycle. Our only problem is that we miss Marc Márquez. “
In the meantime, you no longer want to be in the shoes of HRC managers. Repsol, for example, would like Alex Márquez to remain in the factory team instead of in LCR. You can count on a head roll with the MotoGP leaders.
Because Marc Márquez may be reasonably fit at the start of the season. But it’s doubtful that he will ever play the dominant role that he assumed until the Jerez crash. It will probably take a while.
Because the opponents have top-notch material. Furthermore, riders like Mir, Rins, Morbidelli, Quartararo, Miller, Binder and Oliveira have gained a lot of self-confidence; this also applies to Nakagami and Alex Márquez.
And it remains to be seen whether Honda’s arrogant managers have learned from past mistakes.
It is to be feared that the comeback will once again depend on the supernatural powers of Marc Márquez and the power of the Honda RC213V.
