In an interview with motogp.com Marc Marquez has spoken of the added media attention in 2014 and admits how being in the spotlight can be a somewhat awkward experience.
Having re-written the record books in 2014, sealing more pole positions and Grand Prix victories than any other rider had previously done in a single season of the premier class, Marquez was naturally the centre of attention in the majority of press conferences and media gatherings. Having won four World Championship titles in the last five years, some may say the 21-year-old Spaniard is becoming accustomed to such worldwide acclaim, but even he admits this can be a tough challenge at times.
“I remember how all of the questions to the other riders would continue to be the same,” Marquez recalls. “It would be things like: ‘What do you need to do to beat Marquez?’ and ‘How can you stop Marquez?’ Somehow I was a bit uncomfortable about it because, as a rider, I know how it feels when they ask you about your rival and not about yourself. If it is only one or two questions it is okay, but when you get the same thing all the time, the same questions about the same competitor…I was worried that even riders I get on well with would end up hating me!
“It was a bit bizarre. In reality the more you win, the greater your advantage. So the pressure should be decreased because, each time you win, you are having to risk less on the following occasion in order to push for the championship. Instead, every time I won I was having more and more pressure because I felt like people were just waiting for me to make a mistake. I always felt that the day I failed would make big news. Finally, when I finished fourth at Brno, it actually came as a huge relief, as I was able to say to myself, ‘Okay, now people will stop talking about whether I can win all of the races…they will move on, so things will go back to normal and I will be able to concentrate more on myself.’”
In 2015, Marquez will be looking to become the first rider to win three consecutive premier class world titles since Valentino Rossi in the middle of the last decade.
