Iker Lecuona calls Marc Marquez’s MotoGP data ‘very peculiar’ after Honda stint

Iker Lecuona didn’t find Marc Marquez’s Honda data useful

Lecuona stepped in for Marquez at Jerez and later filled in for his Honda teammate Joan Mir at Assen during the 2023 season. After reviewing both of their telemetry, he found that Marquez’s data wasn’t helpful, as he couldn’t replicate the way Marquez handled the bike.

Speaking on the Fast & Curious Podcast, Lecuona explained: “I have to say I didn’t watch Marc much. Because it’s true, he takes corners very differently from everyone else. He has something extra, a very peculiar riding style, which works for him because it’s his own, it’s unique.

“And it’s difficult to follow or understand how he’s able to do what he does. A corner entry, a ‘I can do this and I’m going to do it’ attitude, he doesn’t care about anything, how the bike moves… He doesn’t care what the bike does.

“What’s more, I would look at Márquez’s telemetry once, or twice at most, and I said, ‘It’s not worth it.’ And I started looking at the telemetry of other riders, of Joan Mir, who is more refined, because it didn’t make sense, it was incredible.”

Iker Lecuona breaks down Marc Marquez’s unique riding approach

Lecuona also offered further insight into what makes Marquez’s style so effective: “Márquez is brilliant. If you’re a good braker, you can match Marc’s braking power, but you won’t enter corners like him.

“He has a technique, he knows how to position his weight, which is very important in MotoGP because of the Michelin tyres, how he positioned his body, his height… Everything is possible, they’re all variables.

“But the way he entered corners, with the confidence he had, and how he turned or lifted the bike, he did it all. Then, the Honda was spinning so much at that moment that it wouldn’t exit the corner. But just in corner entry and turning, he’d gain a tenth, two or three, depending on the corner.

“Marc has such a distinct and unique style that if you want to follow him, you have to ride like him. And we each have our own DNA, a different style.

“Reaching Marc’s level is very difficult. We see it with the Ducati too; he really pulls the front end and brakes like that… There are very few people who can do that.”