The start of the Catalunya MotoGP Grand Prix was not very encouraging for Marc Márquez, who failed to even qualify for the second session and started from 14th. However, he recovered and finished on the podium in both races.
The Gresini Spaniard admitted that the debut year with a different manufacturer has its challenges that can lead to a less than ideal start to a weekend: ‘It is one of the difficult things when you are in the first year with a bike. At all circuits, you can check a little what they did last year, but with your riding style everything is different. And then when we start and have some problems, we are always behind‘.
Márquez was able to make progress on Saturday and, although satisfied with third place in the main race, admitted that improvements are needed in fast laps:
‘In Saturday morning, I tried something that helps me a lot, which was more towards the other Ducatis, and that already gave me the pace. But now we need to understand how to attack the stopwatch, how to avoid the front push which is one of the issues with the 2023 bike. But I am quite happy because we lost a bit there, but then we gained in other areas. I am happy and here in Montmeló it was very important for me to be on the podium because it is one of the most difficult circuits‘.
Regarding what changed in the Ducati Desmosedici GP23 that allowed him to be more competitive, the eight-time world champion clarified: ‘Setup, and then with the setup you adjust the electronics: each setup has its own electronics‘.
