The ’24 MotoGP season will not be the year of Marc Marquez’s ninth world title, but it will serve to rediscover the path to victory. The Gresini rider concluded the adaptation phase to the Ducati Desmosedici after just a couple of races, coming close to triumphing in the Portimao and Austin Sprints and in the Jerez race. Now that he has found confidence in the bike he is ready to attack the top step of the podium and sit at the negotiating table with an extra weapon.
Marquez in the Gresini family
The sad MotoGP weekends with Honda in recent years are now a memory. The injury in Jerez in 2020, and the long absence due to the shoulder injury, created a clear cut in his relationship with the RC213V. So much so that it pushed him to a historic turning point in his career, with the choice to move to the satellite team Gresini Racing. “When you’re going through a bad time, you need changes to regain your confidence. My intent is to grow further“, said Marc Marquez in an interview with Audi Spain.
The support received in the Italian team was fundamental to having a solid base on which to trust and start again. So much so that already in the second Grand Prix with the Ducati he achieved a second place in the Sprint race. “Unity is strength, you can’t do it alone. It is very important that technicians and mechanics have the peace of mind that they can make mistakes. What a mechanic or technician wants is your good. If he fails, you need to tell him in the right words. This makes the team stronger and there are many days ahead“. Nadia Gresini’s team was lucky enough to bring a champion to the pits, an unprecedented transfer move in the history of MotoGP.
The redemption with Ducati
Marc Marquez faces one of the most important challenges of not having the treatment of an official rider. He has changed his entire staff and is changing his driving style to get back to the top. “I have to unlearn many things. I’ve had the same bike for 11 years. You have to adapt to a new bike and polish the last details“. After difficult years with Repsol Honda, the thought of retirement popped into his head several times. Fortunately in Gresini he rediscovered the joy of racing and continued his adventure in MotoGP. “I thought about retiring, but you can’t make a decision immediately. I couldn’t imagine a life without motorbikes or adrenaline. I still have some common sense“.
Photo Gresini Racing
