Still trying to adapt to a new bike after more than a decade racing with another – and being very successful at it – Marc Márquez is still discovering and adapting to the Ducati Desmosedici, but saw signs of improvement once again, now in Qatar. Nevertheless, the former world champion talked about the current moment, asking people to be aware of his moment and situation when predicting possible results.
After finishing 16th on the first day of testing in Lusail, 0.919s slower than Pecco Bagnaia, Márquez said he was feeling better, not forgetting that his journey will take time, as he still retains much of what he did with Honda in his riding: ‘From the beginning, I felt freer on the bike, more confident, playing more with my body, and that was already an improvement. However, I would have liked to see someone who had ridden the same bike for eleven years. My instinct is the same, but step by step I have to change. I was working on myself all day and now, in the last part, we started working on the setup. But first, I was just working on myself: on my performance, on my riding style, and on starting to feel better and better. So, we’ll see on the second day if we can take another step.’
Being such a memorable pilot, with many titles now on board one of the best bikes on the grid and having become champion in 2023, there are naturally high expectations about him, with Márquez asking for time and moderation from his fans: ‘I understand the expectations of the fans and I understand that they believe in me. But another point of view is reality. The reality is that I come from some very difficult years, I need to regain my confidence. I am trying to understand the bike, because that takes time. And I am human, the years are passing and the young riders are coming, they are faster, and that is natural. Each athlete has their moment and then, step by step, it is necessary to understand how to adapt to the situation’.
And he continued, looking at his opponents: ‘But of course it will be a difficult season. There are three types in particular, in Ducati, who are doing very well; and I try to learn from them. But that takes time and it is difficult; we will see if, little by little, I can get closer to them. But that is not my goal. If the goal is to try to win, it will be a great frustration’.
