World champion Marc Marquez complains 'you are even slower' unless you ride 'robot style' in MotoGP

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Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has complained that the current setup of bikes does not let him ride as he wants to, saying that he has to adopt a "robot style" of riding to get the most out of a race.

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The Ducati Lenovo rider gave an interview to Bike World this week as he reflected on the challenge presented by technological advances of the bike provider to competitors.

Ride height devices and improved aerodynamics have altered the requirements of the rider, and the 33-year-old Spaniard believes that the improvements have given him less room to ride according to his preference, instead having to match the demands of the bike to find peak performance.

Some believe the changes mean that overtaking has become more difficult and less frequent, and Marquez believes that the rider is less of a decisive factor.

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That may come as a surprise in a decade during which Marquez has been hailed for his ability to turn a struggling bike into a championship-winning one.

He even said that he misses the bikes that he rode a decade and beyond ago.

”Where I was enjoying more the bikes was 2014, ’15, ’16, without the aerodynamics,” he explained.

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”Now, it’s true that they are very nice to ride, but it’s more like a robot style. You need to follow what the aerodynamics want and you cannot override the bike.

”If you override the bike, you are against the aerodynamics and then you are even slower.

”So, on that 2014, 15, 16, without aerodynamics, if you override the bike, you were faster, because you started to slide, you started to lose the front. You saw many saves.

”Now, not anymore, because the problem now is that the downforce we have, when you lose the front, we are pushing the tyre a lot and it never comes back.

”So, that bike when I was in Honda… but it’s not because I enjoyed Honda or Ducati; it’s just the style of bike.”

The upcoming 2027 season sees some changes to the bikes that Marquez may find more enjoyable. Ride height devices are to be banned, and aero levels will be reduced.

Marquez is currently enjoying the best part of a month off after the most recent race weekend at Grand Prix Germany.

Marquez was the winner at Sachsenring, leaving him in third place in the overall standings, 18 points behind the current championship race leader, Aprilia’s Jorge Martin on 208 points.

Second spot is occupied by another Aprilia bike, Trackhouse GP’s Ai Ogura, who has 194 points in the championship so far.

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