If he was riding, would Marc Marquez be showing the same levels of inconsistency as the majority of MotoGP frontrunners this season? It is the million-dollar question being asked by fans all over the world. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing the answer until the defending champion returns from injury and, currently, there is no indication of when that will be.
By the time Marquez does come back, it could be that somebody has unlocked the secret of the 2020 rear Michelin tyre, which seems to be taking unanimous blame for all the set-up uncertainty. But last week, in the days leading up to the Catalan Grand Prix, the Honda rider gave an extensive interview in which he offered an alternative point of view on the matter, and delivered an opinion that didn't go down too well with his rivals.
"It looks like nobody wants to win [this championship]," said Marquez. "It is difficult to understand, but if you are a rider you can understand it a little bit. One thing is to be a rider that if you win, it will be something incredible, but when you are the rider that needs to win then something changes and you have many more doubts because you don't know if you should attack, if you should defend.