MotoGP | Marquez, first words on Ducati: “Faster adaptation than expected”

The fourth place obtained by the Spaniard in his first contact at the controls of a Desmosedici GP, the Tuesday following the last round of the calendar, in Valencia, satisfied the enormous expectations generated.

On lap seven of his first outing, Marc Marquez was just three tenths away from the then best time of Alex Marquez, his brother and new teammate. At the end of the day, the Catalan was less than two tenths of the time with which Maverick Vinales was the fastest of all.

The ties that still exist with Honda prevented the Cervera rider from making any comments after the test, although a conversation recorded inside the Faenza team's garage made his satisfaction clear. This Monday, January 1, Marquez was released from his relationship with Honda, so that he can speak without reservations about what will be his new stage, after 11 years with the Japanese manufacturer.

“I managed to adapt much faster than expected. I immediately felt very good, with an excellent feeling. The time came out without looking for it in an exaggerated way,” said Marquez, in a statement to Dazn, released the same Tuesday and classified until 2024.

“The Ducati is a different bike from the Honda, with a different style. I switched to the champion's bike, which is now in my hands. There are many riders who are strong with this bike”, continued the rider.

The multiple champion went fast from the start, but in the end he was able to push a little more on the bike, fitting a new set of tyres, with which he sought the best time, with a lap that left him 171 thousandths of second from Vinales.

The conclusions of his debut with Ducati could not have been better, even if, as usual, in just one day there were many things left to prove. “The speed is there, but I still have to understand many things. Not so much to go faster, but to be more consistent. And, above all, in terms of communication with the team,” he said.

“I worked with a group for eleven years, now it's a new group, but the family welcomed me very well and this is always nice”, added Marquez, who will participate in the official presentation of the Gresini team in Riccione (Italy) on the 20th , with his brother as a neighbor in the garage.

The next time he will take to the track with Ducati will be for the collective test to be held in Malaysia, from 6 to 8 February.