Puig: Marquez, Honda will forget points advantage in Brno

Repsol Honda team manager Alberto Puig feels Marc Marquez’s 58-point lead won’t be counted within the team once the MotoGP season restarts after the summer break.

With Marquez dominating to victory at Sachsenring, the 10th consecutive pole position and race win of his career at the German circuit, the reigning MotoGP world champion holds a controlling lead in the riders’ standings over nearest challenger Andrea Dovizioso with 10 races to go in 2019.

But Repsol Honda team boss Puig says Marquez and the squad will use the mentality of starting a new season after the summer break at Brno and won’t relent in order to maximise its 2019 results and RC213V bike development.

“We always look to the future and continue to work towards it. Now, during the summer break, we will certainly think where we can still improve, bearing in mind the same objective for Brno, that is winning the race. This is always our target,” Puig said.

“We have to go to Brno pretending that we have 0 points of advantage. For sure, the rider and the engineers in Japan now will have time to relax a little and recharge their batteries to be ready and focused for the next race and the rest of the season.”

While pouring credit on Marquez for completing his 10th straight Sachsenring win, Puig admits there was supreme confidence inside the Repsol Honda team throughout the German MotoGP race weekend given the Spanish rider’s unmatched pace and results.

“Marc is a guarantee in this track, because he won here almost every year with our Honda,” he said. “This does not mean that he can relax, but the results boost our optimism. It is clear that he really understands the points of the track where he can or cannot take risks.

“Of course, a race is a race and you can crash anytime in any track, but I have to admit that even during the practice sessions, Marc had a very strong pace and was working hard together with his team.

“A victory cannot be taken before the race, but we clearly had a good plan and a positive feeling.”

Marquez has secured either in first or second in every race he has finished so far in the 2019 MotoGP campaign with the only omission being the Americas MotoGP when he crashed out while leading due to a technical issue later identified by Honda. Marquez has also secured five out of nine possible pole positions.