Didn't he win one first, move up to 500s, and back down for second one? You say that like it's a bad thing. He went to a team with massive financial backing and arguably the most rookie-friendly MotoGP bike.
Loris won 2 straight 125cc titles, went up to 250s and came close a couple times. Went up to 500s and then bumped down to 250s where he finally won the 250 title.
My gripe with AM isn't only that it took him 5 years to get the title, but 5 years in the best team in the paddock. If his last name wasn't Marquez, he would've been shown the door after his first contract and wouldn't have even been a consideration for a Repsol Honda ride in 2020.
Team tit baby/mommas boy 2020. Wonder if their daddy will stop on the way home from practice so they can all get an ice cream together?
No argument there. Alex, by being M2 Champion deserved a bump up to MotoGP, more so than Fabio ever did. Much like Fabio, Alex is benefiting from the timing where there are more seats than eligible riders... If the situation had been normal, he might have ended up where he rightly wanted: Aprilia!
If his name wasn't Marquez, no one would be giving in shit for having won "only" one Moto 3 and one Moto 2 championships at the age of 23. Marc Van der Stratten is under no pressure to show results to anyone or lose his job. He can afford to be patient and loyal to his racers.
With the results this year and #6hrc titles he can ask for a ride for the girlfriend and he will get it
Tom Luthi has been in the class since its inception in 2010 (minus a 1 year hiatus to ride MotoGP in 2018) and he still hasn't won a title. Came in runner up several times in the championship, but he's still at it. Domi Aegerter's another whose been in Moto2 since the beginning and also hasn't ever been higher than 5th in the championship
Seems a lot of guys can't get past their emotions to analyze what actually happened here: Dorna has a commitment to provide an opportunity to each Moto 2 champion to move up. The class has no credibility if it's not a stepping stone to MotoGP. No way Alex Márquez is going to Avintia, the place where Moto 2 and SBK racers go kill their chances of ever getting a decent MotoGP ride. So for him, it either Repsol or LCR. Lucio Cecchinello is not going to give up a proven podium contender for a rookie when his other rider hasn't shown yet that he can step up to that role. So for him, it's either Crutchlow or Zarco.
Exactly. Being Moto2 champ means something. The other 25-whatever guys in the field didn't do it this year. Probably the top 10 finishers in Moto2 all have the raw speed to be within a second of pole time in MotoGP, potentially. When someone is hired for a seat, there's more involved than just their speed, which most of them have proven. The rider is a package deal, and along comes sponsors, moms, dads, brothers, paddock relationships, etc. I think Alex deserves that seat. Zarco has proven himself to be a quitter and has let down the family that put so much effort into his bike. IMHO, he really should be back in Moto2 to pre-prove his commitment.
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/espargaro-zarco-repsol-honda-marquez/4598954/ That last sentence...
Marc VDS is wealthy but he is not dumb; he's not going to fund his team purely out of pocket. Why don't we ask Mika Kallio or Xavi Vierge about how "patient and loyal" Marc VDS is to his racers? Kallio was the runner up in the championship when Marc VDS replaced him with little Marquez. Vierge got one season and that was his only chance. When you're riding in a top team in this class, you either produce (Rabat, Morbidelli, Mir) or find another ride (Vierge). Alex Marquez got a pass simply because of his last name. When's the last time another rider retained a top tier ride for five consecutive years in the same team without making it into the Top 3 in the championship? I certainly can't think of anyone besides Alex Marquez.