The Spaniard ended his experience at Honda last season, after three years of turmoil for the Tokyo-based company, which has gone through the deepest decline in its history.
For the driver from Cervera, leaving the dynamics of the golden wing builder meant taking a load off his shoulders. Firstly, being able to get rid of the alleged refuge provided by Marc, his older brother, Honda’s spearhead and cornerstone of the MotoGP project.
But with this change of scenario, Alex also left behind the RC213V, the most critical and “traitor” prototype on the grid, as he himself defined it, to get on the Desmosedici GP that won the last World Championship, with the help of Pecco Bagnaia, and with which six of the brand’s eight riders reached the podium.
The versatility of the Italian bike gave the Catalan rider the best sensations who, after the first collective test session of 2023, finished in eighth place, less than half a second behind Luca Marini, the fastest of the three days. Marquez not only beat his brother Marc, but he also lowered his time in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix by 1″7, when he was in 21st place on the grid. Furthermore, the 1’58″3 achieved in Lap 43 of the 49 completed on Sunday is a tenth faster than the fastest Honda’s (Marc) time in the same October qualifying session.
The clear step forward he has made has not gone unnoticed by the Ducati top management, who are confident and believe he will be able to rediscover his best version. The one that took him to two podiums on his debut in the premier class (2020), and which previously crowned him world champion in Moto3 (2014) and Moto2 (2019).
“After a difficult period with Honda, having a bike that works will give him enormous motivation to show how good a rider he is. Alex has won two World Championships,” said Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti. , in a conversation with Motorsport.com that took place at Sepang.
“It is certainly difficult to be the brother of an alien like Marc, and it can be even more difficult to be in the same team as him. In Gresini they will take care of him”, added the head of the Bolognese company’s Racing Department.
“This year it will be clear why Alex is a double world champion,” added team manager Davide Tardozzi. “We are very satisfied with the pre-season that is taking place. We believe that this bike can enhance some of his strengths. Alex is very good in the wet and also in mixed conditions. Our bike too. Furthermore, we think it can make good use of braking and corner entry”, continued the former driver.
After just four days of experience on the GP22, the youngest of the Marquez brothers believes he still has room to refine some details before lining up on the starting grid for the first round of the calendar, in Portugal at the end of March.
Either way, the transition he’s made couldn’t have been smoother. Both in terms of speed and the absence of accidents. This has undoubtedly allowed him to regain the self-confidence that he, logically, had lost during his time at Honda. “Naturally, in the difficult moments at Honda I questioned myself. Sometimes I wondered if I had forgotten how he rides. But those moments will help me become a better rider,” concluded Alex.
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