Marc Márquez will make his debut this weekend for Gresini in MotoGP. The Qatar GP marks the first race for the Spanish rider in this new adventure, where he has encountered many unknown aspects since the pre-season.
The six-time world champion of the premier class explained in a press conference that he is seeking to adapt to what Gresini has to offer, and if it doesn’t work out, then there must be a compromise: ‘Of course it’s completely different to work in a factory team or a satellite team. It’s true that first of all, when I arrived I tried to adapt myself to the bike and to the team. Because in the end you cannot arrive in a team and just to move the things to your side. First of all I like to try what they are doing and then, step-by-step, if I see something in another team or maybe in another kind of strategies I feel better, then I say to them, we discuss and we find a compromise. But this is something that I need to learn during the first GPs especially – because the way that they’re working in the box is always very similar, but the strategy of the tyres, the strategy of the fuel, many things, electronics, are different and we need to understand. And I need to understand, adapt and then if in some races I’m not able to adapt well, then we’ll start to find the compromise. But at the moment, with that bike, with that team, another riders won races, so they are doing a good job’.
After a pre-season very different from what he was used to at the factory Honda team, Márquez continues to have to learn, but even as he dismisses the fight for the top positions, he assured that he is comfortable: ‘Of course it was a completely different pre-season, because I was used to ride just trying things for the bikes and develop the bike, but this winter was the completely opposite: I was focused on myself, trying to adapt my riding style to the new bike, and from the beginning I felt not bad – there are still many things to learn and many things to improve, especially to learn from the top guys inside Ducati. At the moment I feel comfortable – not ready to fight for the podium, not ready to fight for the victory. But step-by-step we need to create the base and try to understand during the race weekends where we are’.