Alex Marquez has found himself in the 2023 MotoGP season. After a difficult period at Honda, the rider from Cervera faced this season with the need to reaffirm himself, which he did aboard the Gresini Racing Ducati, finishing on the podium and in the top 10 on several occasions.
Having just returned from Thailand and a hat-trick in which he left his recent rib injury behind him, the Catalan driver analyzed for Motorsport.com how the year is going and also looks to the future, given that in 2024 he will share the garage with brother Marc.
What are your feelings about Thailand? You had an accident, but it was a good weekend after the injury…
“Australia went better than I expected. Physically I was much more injured, it’s a circuit that I like and I could have done well. But Thailand leaves a good taste in my mouth. It’s true that we weren’t able to finish the race due to the accident, but we were fighting in the leading group. And after the injury I had, I’m optimistic for the end of the season. There are still three to go, but we need to finish more.”
How’s the injury going?
“I’d say 90%, more or less. It’s true that I still have some discomfort. Above all physically I have to get back on track, because I was out of action for four weeks. Australia and Thailand were excellent training sessions from a physical point of view, but this week will be important to arrive in Malaysia in better shape and not have to manage the weekend so much.”
Is what Marco Bezzecchi says true, that is, that stopping costs a lot and that this is why riders are now pushing harder to return after the injury? He said that he didn’t want to waste too much time, and that Enea Bastianini was also affected…
“Yes, maybe. Now Bastianini, people who don’t see him as competitive, that’s how it is, he’s been at a standstill for a long time. For example, when Marc came back and he was fast from the start, but that’s not normal. They are bikes that they go fast, with which you have to have everything under control, and it’s difficult. But missing a race or two means not having the same pace as them. And especially in a lap, or in a race, it’s more difficult to keep the pace.”
The prospects for the last three races of the year are positive. Do you set limits?
“Getting back to that speed, confirming the speed we had in Thailand. Since Misano we have made some important changes to the bike’s set-up, which seem to help me a lot for my riding style, and in Australia and Thailand we were very fast. Let’s see if we can achieve something more, finish fine-tuning everything and, why not, conquer some podiums. This would be the goal between now and the end of the year, and then start 2024 well.”
You talked about an improvement in Misano: how are the updates to the bike? Are you satisfied with what you achieved during the year?
“The bike has been the same since the beginning of the year. Yes, they made some updates, but very small ones. The change was more about the set-up, the geometry. It’s a quite different bike, we’ve had the same bike since “beginning of the year, geometry and all that, and there was a moment where we were a bit stuck, so to speak, and didn’t see where we could improve the base we had. And the big change in Misano, in testing, which was also a suggestion from Ducati, helped us to have much more margin and to finish the set-up.”
How is Ducati managing riders who don’t have an official bike?
“There is the advantage of being able to have all the data from the GP23. There isn’t much difference, every year is an evolution, not a great revolution. And the chassis, everything, is the same. And this helps to seeing everything much more similar in the telemetry. Some aspects of the aerodynamics change, some of the engine, but the bike is very similar. They guide you, they help you a lot. And having the bike from the previous year means having all the data, all the ‘electronics ready when you get to the circuit. In some ways, life is a little easier.”
Obviously one of the key points in Gresini is the arrival of your brother next year. What do you think you will find in Gresini in terms of the peculiarities of the structure? Because I have the feeling that this year you have been more at ease, open with people, calm. I don’t know if you think this will help your brother…
“It’s true that when the results go well, everything helps, you’re more relaxed, you’re more open, you’re much calmer. But also the atmosphere you breathe inside the garage, in the hospitality. It’s true that I felt very much at home, in my environment, from the first moment. We play, we make the jokes we want, but we are professional when it’s time to be. I believe Marc will find the atmosphere he needs at this moment, which is that of a family, to enjoy racing again, to have and appreciate all the small details of a team. I believe that for him there is no better team than Gresini to return to being competitive, to enjoy racing again. In the end when we he’s having fun, he’s going fast, but the team and the whole environment have to help.”
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