How His Difficult Period At Honda Is Now Helping Alex Marquez Get Used To The Ducati
Categories: MotoGP
After three difficult years at Honda, Alex Marquez moves to Gresini Ducati – thus far the right move at the right time.
While Alex Marquez had proven his talent with several podium finishes in his rookie year on a back-then more competitive Honda, the performance curve dropped significantly in the last two years.
Despite his rather disappointing stint at LCR Honda, the Ducati newcomer is seen as one of the possible surprises in MotoGP for 2023.
The talent of the 26-year-old double world champion is undisputed and the Desmosedici GP-22 was last year’s world champion bike.
Although the last two years have probably been the hardest of Marquez’s career, he has nevertheless learned a lot.
In his attempt to return to the upper echelons of the premier class, what he has learned should now help him get used to the Ducati more quickly.
“In my difficult phases at Honda, I sometimes questioned myself. It went so far that I sometimes wondered if I had forgotten how to ride. Those moments now help me be a better rider.”
Marquez has grown and matured as a racer over the last few years in his difficult role – and it shows.
Already faster than on the Honda
At the pre-season test in Sepang, the Spaniard already demonstrated that he has lost none of his former skills.
Compared to his own best lap time from the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend, Marquez was a full 1.6 seconds faster in his first outing of 2023.
Nine Italian bikes in the Top 10 after Day 3 of the #SepangTest 🔥
— MGP1 (@mgp1official) February 12, 2023
Will Honda and Yamaha find a way to the top in 2023?#MotoGP | #MGP1 pic.twitter.com/hWswvwRTH5
“My time attack was good. It’s positive. It went better than in Valencia,” the young Marquez thinks back to November 2022 and his first test on the GP22.
“Here [in Malaysia] I was much more relaxed because by now I had a lot of time to think about everything and analyze everything.”
“Of course, there are still a lot of things for me to understand and improve on this bike. But the overall impression is positive,” he summarizes.
Great atmosphere, more familiar
On top of having beaten his 2022 time already, and despite only ridíng the Ducati for four days, Alex Marquez has already identified an area for improvement:
“It’s obvious what we still have to work on until Portimao. That is the braking point. Because at the moment I’m still losing too much in this area because the rear wheel is in the air for too long.”
Marquez said that they were already working on the problem. In general, the Spaniard’s concerns are addressed directly by the team and Ducati, something Marquez missed in his last year at Honda.
“The atmosphere is great. All the riders are involved. You are listened to and get tips. Of course, that is particularly important for me.”
