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The manager of the factory team, Alberto Puig, broke Honda’s silence after Marquez’s farewell. He did so in an interview with motogp.com and commented on the loss of a champion who marked the recent history of the HRC and the World Championship.
“Marc tried to have a bike that suited his riding style. Honda tried to make it. But, unfortunately, we couldn’t until today. The situation was clear. He needed another type of bike for next year and, since Honda understood, in the end, we decided to do the best thing for both of us and let him go,” Puig explained. “It’s sad. But, if we look back, we’ve done great things together, and we’re very grateful for his contribution, and I’m sure it’s the same for him with us.”
Honda didn’t try to hold him back.
“He had been asking for an improvement to the bike for a long time, but he made his decision on Tuesday. He called us and explained his reasons. We’ll never try to convince a rider who doesn’t want to stay. Honda respects Marc very much and, if he wants to leave, I won’t stop him,” the Spanish manager said.
Now the Japanese constructor no longer has its star, and with a motorcycle that’s not up to the competition.
“Losing a champion is never a good thing, but it would be worse to give up on your dreams. We lost Marc, but Honda’s philosophy won’t change. We’ll fight for a competitive bike,” Alberto confirmed. “We hope that Marc can have what he deserves, and we’ll try to make a competitive bike to fight against him.”
Now they'll have to think about who can, if not replace Marquez, at least take his place. Oliveira’s name was mentioned recently, among others.
“We didn’t contact anyone at the time because, until Tuesday, we had two riders. We started thinking, but we haven’t sat down to decide or name anyone yet. It won’t be easy, given the times. We’ll see how to resolve the situation,” the manager concluded.
