As a six-time MotoGP champion, Marc Márquez will always have many expectations from the audience and the media on him. However, the rider keeps his feet on the ground for the 2024 season, the first in which he will be riding a Ducati and will be part of a satellite team.
After the Sepang tests, the Spanish rider said that, although he is not far from the top, the conditions are different in a Grand Prix, and time is needed to progress: ‘I’m half a second off the fastest lap. It’s true that in terms of pace, I’m not far off. But here you can do 72 laps in a day, in a Grand Prix you don’t: you do 20 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon, and you have to give it your all there. Especially with Friday like this. But we will try to work in the best way to shorten these deadlines and gradually make natural progress’.
Regarding the expectations placed on him, Márquez played them down, emphasizing that he is focused on his goals: ‘For me, the important thing is that if you believe in expectations, I would have panicked and been nervous in the first two days. I am very clear about what my personal goal is for this year, I am very clear about what I am looking for, and I want to enjoy in my garage, I want to enjoy on the track. If I’m higher up, great; but if not, I’ll go back to my garage and there will be moments when we can be closer’.