Marquez dreams of Ducati and reacts to being outpaced by a Yamaha

The sprint, won by Jorge Martin, saw Fabio di Giannantonio (on the Gresini Ducati that he will hand over to Marquez next year) brilliantly come second.

And Alex Marquez, the other Gresini rider, was fourth.

It was impossible not to consider how good Marc Marquez might be in 2024 with that machinery.

“The bike is going well,” he told AS. 

“I will need to know how to understand it and get the most out of it. 

“To know how to get that level that I showed in the past to see if I have it in the present. 

“There is no secret. In this project I went to look for the motorcycle, nothing more.”

Repsol Honda’s Marquez finished 11th on Saturday and even saw Fabio Quartararo, on the struggling Yamaha, finish ahead of him.

He reacted: “It's one of the things I've commented on in the box. 

“It is being seen in the results. I am giving one hundred percent on the track, I am trying to get the most out of it and give the most precise comment, because I like it and I want to help in the project for the future until my last day in Valencia. 

“And I have told you clearly, it is very good, it seems that we have saved it today, but it is not reality; The reality is what happened in the sprint, that with each lap on the straight I lost a position, and that is impossible. 

“In the current MotoGP, if you don't have speed, you won't be strong in the sprint race, you won't be strong in the races, because you won't be able to overtake, and that's what happened to me today. 

“I went behind Zarco and I couldn't overtake him in any way, and every time I came down the straight it was a pain, because someone from behind would pass me or they would parallel me. 

“It is one of the points in which Honda has to improve next year and, as I told you, I am trying to give the most precise comment to try to help them for the future.”

Martin’s win cut his deficit to championship leader to just seven points.

“Jorge had a 'killer' mentality,” Marquez praised. “It's the only thing he has left. When you are leading a championship, you have doubts about what to do, one thing or another. 

“But when you are behind you only have one option, which is to push forward or fall. 

“He has pushed forward and has not fallen. 

“It has turned out very well. Let's see how it goes tomorrow.

“I bet five races ago, when he was further away, and I still bet on Martin.”