The unveiling of the eight-time global champion with Gresini, his newly joined team for the upcoming season, occurred on Saturday. This move follows his departure from Honda after facing challenges during the 2023 season.
Marquez initially tested the motorsport bike during the Valencia test last November, securing an overall fourth position, just 0.171 seconds off the pace. Speaking to DAZN, he expressed that his adaptation to the GP23 Ducati for the 2024 season happened faster than expected.
However, during Gresini’s launch on Saturday, he reiterated his earlier stance, emphasizing that expecting immediate victories in the upcoming season is unrealistic.
As part of the MotoGP Gresini 2024 MotoGP livery, the new design for Marquez’s debut season with Ducati was unveiled.
Marquez addressed the public’s expectations, stating, “People often confuse expectation with approach. My goal is to be as fast as possible on the racetrack, and I will strive to improve from the very first test. However, there’s a significant gap between public expectation and reality. I know people have high hopes for me. In such a situation, my job is to disregard these expectations and concentrate on my work in the garage. It’s essential for me to remain focused, particularly at the beginning.”
He emphasized that being calm doesn’t equate to being slow, expressing his desire to be swift while acknowledging the irrationality of expecting immediate victories, considering the challenges he has faced over the past four years.
Marquez, now with Gresini Racing, admitted that the last two years have been underwhelming, as he did not secure a single victory.
He attributed this setback to switching to a bike favored by riders like Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, who have extensive experience and numerous victories on the same bike. Marquez acknowledged the unrealistic expectation of being on the same playing field initially.
Despite undergoing arm pump surgery immediately after the Valencia test, Marquez claimed to have had a reasonably normal winter this year, the first without recovering from a physical injury since 2017.
“This winter was normal,” Marquez said. “This in itself was a significant change, as my past few winters have been spent recovering from various injuries to my shoulders and arm.”
He noted that the absence of injuries this winter signifies a break from the nightmare of recent years, allowing him to focus on amending his strategy and enhancing his racetrack performance to rebuild his future.
MotoGP Ducati suggested that even if Marquez secures the MotoGP title on an older model, it would not tarnish their image.