Álex Márquez’s debut season with Gresini in MotoGP in 2023 was not easy. Although he managed to achieve podiums and even a victory in a Sprint race, he also had to face the harsh reality of tempering expectations that had risen too high.
The Spanish rider explained in a press conference this Saturday that the inconsistency he ended up having is not uncommon in a first season with a new bike and team: ‘I think ups and downs are somewhat normal in the first year with a bike. We arrived at several tracks where I had no information, all of that. In the first year, you always need to know a little bit about what you need on the bike. And usually when I go to a new bike or a new category, I always need some time. There are other types of riders who get the information or the feeling on the bike easier and faster‘.
Márquez feels that the final phase of 2023 was very positive: ‘I believe we had a really good end of the season. We were there… since the injury I had in India, I think we took a really good step. In Thailand, we were fighting in the front group when I crashed, but later on, we were very consistent‘.
On the other hand, #73 commented: ‘I think at one point in the season, after the start, the first four races… until Jerez, expectations were growing too fast. We were faster than expected at the beginning of the season, so expectations were too high at one point. That’s when the crashes in Jerez, also in Le Mans, and some bad luck came. But later on, as we finished the season, the approach I had to the races was correct in trying to have a good season‘.
