Marquez Dominance Analysis

We are now exactly halfway through 2014 and it's fair to say, Marc Marquez will be the world champion come the final race in Valencia.

However the big question is, will he complete a clean sweep of victories in 2014? Nine races in and Marquez has won every one of them. His championship lead stands at 77 points, the equivalent of just over three races wins, over Honda teammate and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa.

In my opinion, I can't see him winning every single race, at some point this season something is bound to go wrong. Whether it be a crash or mechanical problem, he surely can't go a full season unbeaten.

Last time we saw domination of MotoGP even close to this feat was Valentino Rossi, who won 11 of the 17 races held in 2005.

Even in early 2013 many were impressed with the youngster, after winning his first grand prix in only his second start and then going on a four race winning streak halfway through his debut campaign.

The Cervera born ace, clinched the 2013 title at the final race in Valencia, beating Jorge Lorenzo, who had won three races on the trot at the end of the season by four points.

The form of the 21 year old is only emphasised more, despite winning the MotoGP world title in his debut season, by the fact that Marquez is only in his second season in the top class. His terrific run this season means he has won 15 of the 27 races he has competed in since moving into MotoGP.

Bike vs Man
In motorsport there are two factors that determine winners, the equipment and the racer. It's the same scenario in any type of motorsport, from F1 to WRC.

It will be questioned as to how much of Marquez's dominance is down to the sheer speed of the Repsol Honda and how his riding style is complimenting the bike. It's quite clear to see that the Honda has been the best bike on the grid in 2014.

The Repsol Honda had always been quick in a straight line but had not been the best handling bike, pretty much ever since Rossi left the team in 2004. However, now it seems they have found that balance between speed and handling, a year after Marquez joined the team.

MotoGP riders need to have a bike that is in harmony with their riding style. A huge example of this is Valentino Rossi, when he moved to Ducati. For the two years, Rossi was with the Italian team, he did not manage to win a single race and only claimed three podium finishes. At times he conceded that the bike was difficult to ride. Not even the greatest rider in MotoGP history could turn around Ducati's apparent performance issues.

In the history of motorsport, the dominant winners are usually the ones who benefit from the best machinery. Let's have a quick look at two modern era legends of motorsport.

Michael Schumacher, the Formula One legend has cemented his name as the best driver in the sport's history with seven driver's titles.

When you look at his record of results and the cars he has driven, only twice was he ever really challenged for the title. Michael was always deeply involved with the design and creation of every car he drove in F1. If there was something on the car he felt wasn't working, he wouldn't leave the team to sort it out, and he himself would look into the situation and throw his feedback into every part of the design element of the car. He was a perfectionist and that is what won him all those races and championships.

In the following years 1994 – '95, 2001 & 2002 and 2004, Schumacher had easily the fastest car on the grid and comfortably took the titles in each of those seasons

I'm not taking 1994 into consideration because Schumacher would have won the title easily had he not been suspended for two races and disqualified from two.

In 2000 the German fended off, possibly his biggest rival, Mika Hakkinen at the final race in Japan when it seemed that Ferrari and McLaren were very closely matched.

2003 was, in my opinion, Schumacher's finest championship of his career. It was easy to see throughout the season that the Ferrari was not the all-conquering car it had been from 2001 and 2002. For most of the season the Ferrari was consistently slower than McLaren and Williams but Michael outdid the performance of the car to clinch his sixth title.

The second example is WRC legend, Sebastien Loeb. Statistically, the Frenchman is the greatest driver in WRC history with 78 wins in 168 rallies 9 world championships.

Now I have great admiration for rally drivers, not only are they incredibly fast, they are driving tuned up versions of road cars on slippery surfaces like gravel, mud and snow and have to have complete faith in their machinery to compliment how they drive the car.

WRC is one of very few motorsports where the driver and car have to be in harmony, and that is why Loeb had a distinct advantage over everyone else. His influence, extended from in the car on the stage, to the designers and team that built the car so it would match perfectly with his driving style.

Between 2004 and 2012, Loeb and Citroen were the dominant force in WRC and they were only briefly threatened by the likes of Peter Solberg and Marcus Gronholm, driving for Subaru and Ford at the time they challenged Loeb's dominance.

And this is where the question will be asked of Marquez. Is his influence stretching beyond the setup, of the bike, during the race weekend to the development of the bike before the season?

In 2013, Yamaha and Honda were very evenly matched and Marquez showed great skill to claim his maiden title. However, you cannot deny that Repsol Honda have taken huge step forward this season.

Marquez's teammate Dani Pedrosa has not been able to take full advantage of the improved performance and has been fighting with Valentino Rossi for 'best of the rest.' This scenario is reminiscent of Rubens Barrichello's time as Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari between 2000 and 2005, who could not match Michael in the, apparently, same equipment.

Conclusion

Marc Marquez's domination can be attributed to the speed of the Repsol Honda, but his influence and attention to detail is probably one of the definitive differences as to why he has been so dominant and looks set to make it two world titles from two seasons in MotoGP.

It is still a little early in Marquez's career to judge as to whether he is a good rider with great machinery, or a great rider with good machinery.
His emergence, into MotoGP stardom, reminds me of Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton when they made their debuts in F1. All three started their careers with teams who are/were at the top of their sport. Only difference, Marquez managed to claim a world title in his debut season.

But I think to show the speed and his newfound consistency are characteristics of a great rider.

If Marquez continues in the form he is in, he could easily become the greatest rider in MotoGP history very quickly.