Marc Marquez: “Honda style” my main worry

Marc Marquez says that reverting back to ‘Honda style’ is his main worry during his first MotoGP weekend as a Gresini Ducati rider.

The eight-time world champion, without a race win for the last two seasons, has spent winter testing trying to adapt from the front-end strengths of the Honda to the high rear grip available on the Ducati.

Clear progress has been made, with fourth place in the final test at Lusail, but the Spaniard remains concerned he could slip back into his old style under the pressure and stress of a race weekend.

“My natural riding instinct is still going to Honda style,” Marquez said. 

“In a test you are calm. You can think about it. But in a race weekend with pressure, with stress, my natural instinct still is riding like Honda.

"I need to keep working, keep thinking during all of the weekend to ride what the [Ducati] bike wants, not what I want.”

Marquez - who gave his 2024 title predictions as Pecco (MotoGP), Aldeguer (Moto2) and Alonso (Moto3) - joked that the fact he and former champion Fabio Quartararo were placed in a different press conference to last year’s MotoGP top three shows who the favourites are.

“We're in the second press conference! The guys to beat are in the first one, they are the favourites,” said Marquez, who has played down his chances of a debut Ducati victory or even podium this weekend.

“In the end, [success in] MotoGP is a combination… And to have all these things is super difficult. So the key is just try to accept the situation and be realistic all the time and this is what I personally do.”

Opening practice for the Qatar Grand Prix starts on Friday afternoon.