Marc Márquez’s First Day on the Gresini Ducati

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Marc Márquez finished his first testing day on his GP23 Ducati fourth fastest. (Andrea Wilson/)

“It has not been a farewell with Honda, it was a ‘see you later.’ I don’t want to close that door, or any other.” Maybe the paths of Honda and Marc Márquez will come together again, but the present ride of the eight-time world champion is the indigo blue Ducati with the red No. 93 that tasted the cold asphalt of Valencia on Tuesday morning for the first test session of the 2024 season.

He arrived half an hour after the official track opening wearing a fancy white and black down jacket and, above all, a big smile on his face. This is why he switched bikes. “The target is to return smiling: having fun on the bike and riding with a more natural flow,” he said. “I want to return leading without so much stress, but we have to be realistic because I haven’t won a race in the last two years.”

Mission accomplished. Happy as a kid in the toy shop, Márquez looked immediately comfortable on the bike, riding quite smooth. He finished fourth on his Ducati debut just 0.171 second off the best pace set by Maverick Viñales, who put the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP through its paces and led the day with a 1:29.253.

Adaptation to the bike is crucial. “Enjoying riding my bike and adapting well are the first steps and then we can think about winning,” Marc said. Changing bikes after 10 years is not easy. Jorge Lorenzo doing the same, passing from Yamaha to Honda and then to Ducati, needed one full year on the Duc—but it was a different machine at that time.

“Each rider is different, but we have to say that adaptation is more difficult when the bike is not so competitive,” said veteran Dani Pedrosa, who rode with Honda for his entire MotoGP career and switched to KTM afterward as a test rider with fantastic results. “For sure it’s more difficult for Luca Marini on the Honda rather than for Marc on the Ducati.”

The GP23 is flying, proving to be competitive and fast with all eight Ducati riders. Gigi Dall’Igna has no doubt that Márquez’s style suits the GP23. “Almost all the riders that jumped on our bike have won so I think that he can adapt well, and I imagine we can give him some advice to speed up the process so that he can adapt it to his needs.”

Márquez was 0.171 second off the fastest time after just one day on the GP23. (Andrea Wilson/)

Ducati doesn’t deny that at the beginning it was not in favor of such a switch because it may create some friction.

“As an engineer, for me it’s an honor that a multiple champion wants to ride our bike. He even made important renouncements to do it. This makes me very proud,” Ducati Corse’s general manager continued. “I’m curious to know his feedback because he is one of the most important racers in the history of roadracing.”

Márquez could also be helpful in the development of the bike. “I listen to all the riders in the same way. I never followed the indication of only one rider. Our target is to improve the bike; for example, if the machine has an issue that the factory rider doesn’t point out and I succeed to fix it, I am sure that all the riders will benefit from it, even the official team. I have always listened to all the riders, and I will continue to do it.

“For sure having Márquez can create some unbalance, so we have to be skilled to manage the relations among the teams very well. One of our strengths is the harmony and nice atmosphere in our squads,” he added. “Regarding Bagnaia, I don’t think that the arrival of Márquez will change him. He won the title two years in a row, and he will have to give everything to repeat himself for the third time. There are not many riders who did it back to back so even Pecco is one of the most important riders.”

Márquez has a one-year contract with Gresini Racing. This could be a limit in terms of support. “We commit to give the best support to all the Ducati riders,” Gigi concluded.

Márquez took the seat of Fabio DiGiannantonio (now on the Mooney VR46 Ducati), but he won’t use his bike. On the contrary, Marc made his debut with the machine already equipped with the latest adaptations, meaning that it is very similar to the one he will ride next year. Doing this, the Valencia test becomes more realistic, even though it would be important to wait for Sepang this winter to understand the bigger picture.

Will Marc regret leaving Honda?

“I know that Honda will return to winning. With or without me,” Márquez said on the eve of his last race with the HRC colors. The Spaniard has maintained a good relationship with Honda. “There has always been great respect on both sides,” No. 93 said. The reason is none other than that both Honda and Marc believe, suspect, and intuit that their paths could come together again. “It will depend if I will be fast again, so more doors will be open for me.”

Márquez left Honda as he didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least short term. On Tuesday he was a happy boy.

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