Marc Márquez showed strength and competitiveness from the moment he debuted on a Ducati at this year’s Qatar GP. However, the Gresini rider had to wait more than half the season to secure his first victory with the Italian manufacturer.
A regular presence on the podium, the eight-time world champion at times seemed like a title contender. He had early chances to win at the GP of the Americas and at the Spanish GP, but different circumstances prevented him from capitalizing.
It wasn’t until the Aragón GP at the end of August that Márquez achieved his first victory with Gresini’s Ducati. Following this breakthrough, he went on to claim two more wins, in San Marino and Japan.
His crew chief, Frankie Carchedi, reflected on the season in an interview with Crash.net. He suggested that if Márquez’s first victory had come earlier, the season might have unfolded differently:
– Maybe things could have gone differently if we had his first win earlier. I remember Jerez quite well, unfortunately, we crashed on a wet patch in the Sprint whilst leading. And I know that had a little bit of an effect in the main race. We were also coming back off Austin, where we had a brake issue [ending up crashing when he was the leader]. So it was important to finish.