Ducati will have Marc Márquez on their roster for the MotoGP in 2024, lining up at the satellite team Gresini with this year’s bike. Despite seeming ideal to have such a strong rider as the six-time champion of the premier class, according to Jorge Lorenzo, not everyone wanted him aboard a Desmosedici GP.

Quoted by the website Motosan.es, the former rider spoke about some disagreement within Ducati’s leadership regarding Marc Márquez’s arrival: ‘Having Marc join is good news for Ducati because they get the best rider at no cost. But this is also a problem because not all Ducati leaders wanted Marc’.

Lorenzo explained two concerning factors: ‘Gigi [Dall’Igna, general manager] certainly wanted him because he always aims for the strongest riders. However, there are two worrying aspects: the first is losing Marc after only a year, as he would take with him all the knowledge he gained. The second is that he might beat [Jorge] Martín and [Francesco] Bagnaia. I think he will win many races next year. I’m not sure if he can fight for the title, but if I had to bet, I would bet on him’.

O conteúdo Ducati wasn’t unanimouis about Marc Márquez, reveals Jorge Lorenzo: ‘There are two worrying aspects’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

This GP de La Comunitat Valenciana will mark the end on an era, that of Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda who have brought many world titles for both. The former world champion will leave for Gresini.

On this round at Spain, the rider said: ‘We have finally arrived at the end of the year. It has been a year full of ups and downs, emotions and difficult decisions. Now we come to Valencia looking to end the season in the best way possible, it’s a track I like and have good memories at’.

Marquez didn’t shy away from saying how this one will be very emotional: ‘Of course, it’s not just any end to a season, it will be a very emotional one as an incredible chapter in my sporting career, and in my life, comes to a close. Together with the Repsol Honda Team we have made an incredible story over the last 11 years, the good times and the bad have helped me become who I am and this weekend will be about celebrating what we’ve done and enjoying our time together until the very last moments. Let’s make every lap count’.

O conteúdo Marc Marquez about to bid farewell to Honda: ‘It will be very emotional, as incredible chapter of my career, and in my life’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Marquez shared his insights on Jorge Martin’s performance during the MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar. Martin, who had been exceptional in the Sprint race, experienced a significant downturn in the main race, leading to a loss of crucial points in the championship.

Marquez, who followed Martin closely throughout the race, observed that Martin’s performance was not his usual standard. He noted, “It was difficult for me to follow the pace of those in front, so I stayed there with Martin all the time. I was practically behind him for the entire race.” Marquez commented on Martin’s struggle, saying, “It’s not that he suffered excessively, but he didn’t have much more. Simply put, when you’re not finding it, you’re not finding it. It wasn’t the usual Martin.”

Regarding the potential cause of Martin’s issues, Marquez was cautious in his assessment. He suggested that if a tire is overheated at the beginning of the race, it becomes ineffective for the remainder of the race. However, he refrained from definitively attributing Martin’s performance issues to the tire, the rider, the team, or the bike without seeing the data. Marquez emphasized the importance of tire management, indicating that a good tire can perform poorly if not handled correctly at the race’s start.

“  I did a lot of laps this year behind Martin, behind Pecco a few laps, those that lasted because they always had a very high level and went much faster than us. But there Martín was suffering, he wasn’t turning in the same way, he didn’t have the same speed, and he wasn’t accelerating compared to the Ducatis who normally accelerate quite well. What happened ? What went wrong? I don’t dare say it, but it’s clear that he lost a lot of points for the championship,  ” he adds.

He still  “  dares  ” to show a direction… “ I don’t dare say without seeing the data if it’s the tire or what . It can be a very good tire but if you overheat it at the start of the race it is no longer useful for the whole race. It might be a bad tire, but if you take care of it at the start of the race, you’ll have more at the end  .”

“ And it might be a good tire, but if you increase the pressure because you overheated it, the bike won’t perform the same either. At the start I saw that it had failed, but I don’t dare say that it was the tire, the rider, the team or the bike without knowing it . What is clear is that he has lost points and now needs to show his best version to try to win the two remaining races in Valencia. And this way we have more opportunities to make mistakes .” 

Marquez’s comments reflect his expertise and understanding of the complexities of MotoGP racing, particularly the critical role of tire management. His observations also highlight the fine line between success and struggle in the highly competitive world of MotoGP.

O conteúdo Marc Márquez leaves some messages in the air about Jorge Martín race: ‘What happened ? What went wrong? I don’t dare say it, but it’s clear that he lost a lot of points for the championship’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Márquez is leaving Repsol Honda to join Gresini in MotoGP for 2024, riding a Ducati. In the past, Jack Miller made a similar move, albeit between the satellite bikes of both manufacturers when he joined Pramac.

The Australian told the official MotoGP website that the situations are relatively similar, as the six-time champion of the premier class takes the step he believes is best for his career in terms of sportsmanship:

– It’s kind of the same. […]. I went from getting paid relatively well at a satellite Honda to basically get to pay next to nothing to ride a satellite Ducati, but I could see that was my future, I could see that was the way to progress in this championship. So it was almost a gamble on myself. And what Marc is doing is obviously very similar in that sort of sense as he believes he can do well on that bike and he is going over there simply to trying and do well.

O conteúdo Jack Miller compares Marc Márquez’s move to Gresini with his switch to Pramac aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Marquez, before his significant departure from Honda, has expressed a strong desire to support Alberto Puig, who appears to be in a precarious position within the Repsol Honda team. Marquez’s advocacy for Puig suggests that Puig’s role in the team might be under scrutiny.

The relationship between Marquez and Puig has been a mutually beneficial one, with each playing a significant role in the other’s career. This close bond has even extended to Marquez’s recent change in direction, as he prepares to start working with his future Ducati Gresini team from the first test of the 2024 off-season, scheduled for November 28.

However, Puig’s future with Honda remains uncertain, especially with Marquez’s impending departure and the fact that Puig has yet to propose names for the second RC213V rider, with the first MotoGP test for the upcoming season looming.

Marquez has spoken out in defense of Puig, describing him as an honest person who sometimes may have few friends due to his straightforward nature. Marquez views Puig as a fundamental figure at Honda, open to discussion and essential to the team’s project. He emphasized that Puig has excellent ideas for Honda’s future and insisted that making Puig a scapegoat would be a mistake. According to Marquez, Puig has always been clear and had a project in mind, some aspects of which have been implemented, while others have not. Marquez appreciates Puig’s ideas and believes that dismissing him would be an error.

This situation highlights the intricate dynamics within MotoGP teams and the importance of strong leadership and vision for the future, especially in a high-stakes, competitive environment like MotoGP.

O conteúdo Marc Marquez tries to save Alberto Puig: “he has good ideas, and if they fired him, I think it would be a mistake” aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Márquez finished Sunday’s race in 11th position. The Spanish rider and eight-time world champion continues to have difficulties riding his RC213V.

In a debrief, the Spanish rider spoke about his feelings during the race.

– ‘ I didn’t have the best performance today. I was behind Jorge the whole race, maybe I could have done more, but the feeling wasn’t the best. There was a point in the race when I was struggling a lot, but despite everything it was a weekend that went well, no mistakes, solid and that’s it. Today’s race was similar to the Sprint, yesterday I had Bagnaia in front of me and I knew I was faster, but I knew I wouldn’t have more pace than him until the end of the race, just like Martín today. Why spoil their race when they’re at such an important stage and I know perfectly well that they’re faster than us?

Asked about the next and final weekend racing for the Repsol Honda Team and the difficulties Jorge Martín had today, Marc replied: ‘It’s going to be a busy weekend, no doubt. I’ve looked at my schedule and it’s going to be complicated, but I want to concentrate on the race and finish in the best possible way with Honda. When I was behind Jorge I could see that he was struggling, he was slower into and out of corners which is a strange thing on the Ducati, but it looked like he was struggling with the grip on the rear tire.

O conteúdo ‘Why spoil their race when they’re at such an important stage’ – Marc Márquez aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

With Repsol Honda far from the competitiveness it held in the past, Marc Márquez needs to seek other strategies to compete at the top. Following in the slipstream of a faster rival has been a common choice this year, which the six-time premier class champion has now justified.

The Spaniard told the journalists: ‘Alone I was one second slower. This bike is another bike with the slipstream. And is like this and I undestand that people says: «Why is he following all the time?». In the past many riders followed me; if you are just focused on yourself they don’t disturb me, so I always try to follow the fastest rider, I try to not disturb him, I try to be only behind and like this in the past they didn’t disturb me’.

Highlighting that this isn’t a strategy used solely by him, Márquez emphasized that Honda needs to improve this characteristic of the bike: ‘For example, a rider like Joan Mir, who last year was with Suzuki, he was never looking for a slipstream and this year he is looking for a slipstream in every practice. So it’s a point that Honda must improve for the future, because you can save one weekend like this, but for example in Malaysia, where I didn’t find the good way, I started from 20th’.

O conteúdo ‘The bike is another with a slipstram; Honda must improve for the future’ – Marc Márquez aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

World lead, I’m coming for you! There you have it, Jorge Martín won the Sprint race at the Qatar GP and “cut” the lead in the world championship considerably. Fabio Di Giannantonio had no arguments to take the lead and “help” Pecco Bagnaia who ended up in a “disastrous” fifth place.

Everything was in place for the start of the Sprint at Lusail, with a different first grid than usual: Luca Marini took pole position, Fabio Di Giannantonio was second fastest and Álex Márquez third, with the championship leaders – Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín – fourth and fifth respectively, with Johann Zarco closing the second row.

The start went well for Marini, but Martín soon began to gain positions, as did Bagnaia, with both riders side by side. Martín ended up making a mistake and losing positions, before the first (joint) crash of the race involved three riders: Enea Bastianini, Aleix Espargaró and the unlucky Miguel Oliveira.

Start of the race:

Crash:

Martín didn’t want to waste any time and forced his way past Bagnaia, with A. Márquez also passing briefly for the lead, with Marini responding and retaking the lead. Seconds later it was DiGia’s turn to beat Bagnaia.

After three laps Marini was leading by 0.101s over A. Márquez, with Martín in third at 0.296s off the leader. Bagnaia was fifth at 0.895s.

Of the riders who crashed, only Bastianini remained on the track.

Martín moved up to second place and was provisionally gaining four points on the reigning world champion, who remained in fifth.

Di Giannantonio was in good form and reached the top step of the podium after beating his team-mate, who, it should be remembered, still doesn’t have a confirmed place on the grid for 2024.

Halfway through the race, this was the top ten, just moments before Martín took the race lead!

DiGia was in attack mode, with the #49 rising to second shortly afterwards. Even so, the Gresini rider was 0.494s (!) behind Martín. Bagnaia remained fifth, more than 2s behind the leader.

DiGia was one of the fastest and was starting to gain time on Martín, with the latter now leading by 0.219s. The lead increased again, but it remained in the region of 3 tenths of a second and any mistake, no matter how small, could be crucial.

Going into the final lap Martín and DiGia were 0.171s apart.

The race ended shortly afterwards with Martín confirming the victory!

O conteúdo Jorge Martín wins Sprint and “cuts” Bagnaia’s lead in half; Italian was fifth and sees title decision postponed to Valencia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

In the final stretch of the season, Jorge Martín remains relentless, promising to attack the last two races of the premier class in Qatar and Valencia and, thus, clinch the MotoGP world championship title

The «Martinator» made his belief very clear saying to MotoGP.com: ‘I can win it and the reason is because maybe I’m faster’.

Martín counts on the confidence of several colleagues, including Marc Márquez: ‘I already bet three or four races ago on Martín and I keep saying that Martín maybe looks like he has a little bit more speed than Pecco’.

O conteúdo ‘I can win it, I’m faster’ – Jorge Martín aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Márquez believes that the present and future of MotoGP are in good hands and mentioned the names of several young talents who could leave their mark on the premier class in the coming years.

The experienced Spanish rider stated to AS newspaper: ‘I won’t label anyone because I’ve always hated that. Each rider has their time, their peak years, and their moment. It’s part of the sport. No one, I’ve said this many times, is eternal. There was the era of [Jack] Doohan, then came [Valentino] Rossi, [Jorge] Lorenzo, [Casey] Stoner, then my era, and others will come. [Fabio] Quartararo, [Francesco] Bagnaia, [Pedro] Acosta, one of these will win several MotoGP world championships, and it will be the one who does things the best’.

At the end of this season, Márquez will leave Repsol Honda and move to Gresini Ducati.

O conteúdo No rider is eternal’ – Marc Márquez aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.