"It must be killing his soul inside": Marc Marquez's struggles 'painful' to see for Neil Hodgson

Marc Marquez and his struggles in Austria were painful to watch according to Neil Hodgson as the Honda rider picked up his first Grand Prix finish in more than 300 days.

The 2023 MotoGP season has been very tough for the Spaniard. The bike is just not on the level of any of the European bikes and try as he might, Marc cannot make a difference as a rider like he used to.

With him having another year left on his contract with Honda, speculation has been rife about the Spaniard's intentions to move to KTM. He's openly praised the Austrian team during the race weekend as well.

After missing multiple races earlier in the season due to injuries sustained while pushing the Honda too much, Marc Marquez has admitted that he's not going to take those risks anymore.

In another subdued performance, Marc Marquez finished the Austrian GP outside of the top 10. This was his first Grand Prix finish in more than 300 days. Talking about Marc, Neil Hodgson admitted it was painful to see the Spaniard at Honda.

On the TNT Sports broadcast, Hodgson said:

“It’s painful. He’s smiling but it must be killing his soul inside. Marc is an animal, isn’t he? A winning machine. An eight-time world champion. He has never been slow, never settled for anything. But he’s having to. He’s trying to gather data."

He added:

“He’s got a contract with Honda next year. I’m sure he’s doing all that he can to get out of it. I’m sure he is, and trying to get on another bike. You watch him - the first points of the year? How long ago does Portugal seem? Seems like a year ago. Incredible, really. A sorry story, for Honda and Marc.”

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"Marc Marquez has pressed the reset button" - Sylvain Guintoli

Sylvain Guintoli summed up the situation that Marc Marquez was going through at Honda as he stated that this was just how much of a struggle the bike is right now. He felt that the Spaniard has pressed the reset button after having too many crashes early in the season. Guintoli said (via Crash.Net):

"That’s just how much he’s struggling. The pole lap he did, the front row, and what he did at the start of the season, he was over-riding. It was great to watch, great entertainment. He made a few mistakes as well."

He added:

"But, so many crashes for him. He just couldn’t go on. He has pressed the reset button. He is basically using the races as tests to improve the bike because he knows that he isn’t at the level of the competition.”

It's been an unfortunate situation for Marc Marquez recently at Honda. There has been chatter of a potential move to KTM but it does look highly unlikely for now.