“Everything in the red is what remained after the risky bet we made a year ago”

On his first day in the official Ducati garage Marc Marquez He said he felt “very comfortable and very calm”, aware that he is going to have the best bike, but also that he has to be careful since this garage, for the moment, still has a number 1: Pecco Bagnaia.

Márquez, who at the end of the day put on new soft tires to climb to fourth place in qualifying, upped the ante with an “all red” bet.

“‘All the red’ is what wasn’t left, I took a risky bet a year ago (by leaving Honda) and now it was time to finish in the factory team, it was the best news, and that was a bit of the design idea”, entirely red for both the bike and the rider’s outfit.

“The feelings with the team were good, I felt comfortable from the start, very calm. The fact of not changing factories or bikes and meeting many engineers put me at ease. “I had this peace of mind all day,” he explained.

After ten years in the official Honda team, Marc experienced his personal crossing of the desert with Gresini, the humblest team on the grid, with a Ducati GP23. For him, it was vital to return to a factory.

“Today was a bit of a return to work like a factory does, with a very strict plan, with everything laid out and knowing what you need to test and that’s when the pilot is one hundred percent available to work for the factory.” work to give the best feedback,” he added.

Marc Marquez, Ducati team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

They asked him about the reception, particularly that of Davide Tardozzi, who always had a particular devotion to Marc.

“Davide is more sporty and today we focused on technical issues, but without a doubt these are people I have known for over ten years and with whom I have always had good relationships, before as rivals and now in the same team It doesn’t change, we have a personal relationship with the people in the box, very comfortable, very precise and 90% of the outings are already testing the 2025 bike”, in reference to the new GP25, or the. base. next year’s bike.

They asked him about Gigi Dall’Igna’s attention and if it gave him peace of mind.

“Throughout 2024 I have felt very supported by all the people at Ducati. The big difference and what they do very well is that they collect feedback from all the riders, regardless of the The team they belong to and whatever the weather, they talk about everything personally. But it’s clear that being in the official box you are much more connected with Gigi and with all the technical staff. , which is a lot of people”, and then with my trainer with whom he also made his debut, Marco. Rigamonti.

Despite everything, a first time is always special, and even more so at Ducati.

“The first time you’re the most nervous and you don’t know where to go, it’s the first time you ride a MotoGP, that’s without a doubt. The one that excited me the most was the last year, this year “I wasn’t very calm, by not changing brands or bikes you only notice an evolution, that’s what I noticed.”

Difference between the GP23 motorcycle and the 2025.

“I jumped from 23 to 25, it’s a new bike and the first outing on the track always requires more time to get everything ready. I sometimes jumped to 24, there are some differences. I I think the 25 is more competitive, but you have to see it.”

During the day, Marc could be seen chatting with Pecco Bagnaia, his new teammate.

“The most important point of having a close relationship with your teammate is now, in this test, that is the most important thing. What you test in Malaysia is already what you are going to experience in the first race. We discussed and compared the comments First we each speak separately with the engineers, they have the information and then we comment among ourselves, the important thing is that the comments are very similar,” he said. revealed.

“Logically, you notice that in a factory box you have much more responsibilities than in the garage of a private team. Here you test motorcycle concepts, a new engine, a chassis which require very precise feedback because a bad comment can affect the evolution of the bike. It is a test that the rider is available to the engineers, not to ride.

After ten years at Honda with the same track engineer, Marc has changed technicians three times in the last two years.

“With Marco Rigamonti we will have to adapt, me to him and then little by little he will have to get to know me. I saw him very organized, I felt at ease, he has experience in the factory and he trusts the engineers No “It’s ideal to change technicians every year, but if it’s good, we adapt quickly, as I did last year with Frankie Carchedi. Now I will try to adapt to the method of the official Ducati team,” said Márquez after his first test with the official Ducati team.