Alex Marquez reveals the key aspect “that shocked me” after Honda-Ducati swap

The Gresini Racing rider remembers his first days in his new team, at the start of the season, and being left wide-eyed at the level of observation from the man credited with turning Ducati from underachievers into champions.

"After each training session, Gigi Dall'Igna and his team go through each Ducati rider,” Marquez is quoted by DAZN. 

“There are always three. He takes it all in.

"That's what surprised me the most when I arrived, really. 

“They told me that and, in the Valencia test, well, in the box, it happened three times during the day. 

“And that's something that shocked me, it gave me ideas and helped.”

Marquez had spent three premier class seasons at Honda, alongside his brother Marc Marquez, before a high-profile switch.

His move to Ducati has rejuvenated him, leading to a pole position and a podium in Argentina.

It has allowed him to dream of the ultimate honour.

"I have always said that if I am a MotoGP champion I will go home,” Marquez said. 

“I would have done everything. However, I have already done much more than I imagined.

"In the end, when you're little, you never imagine winning two championships, winning races, podiums, you can't imagine.

"So, what I have achieved and it is already much more than the expectations I had when I was little, of my dreams.”

The biggest change for Marquez this season is to ride a machine which is the envy of the grid, rather than a Honda which has left three of its four riders with broken bones.

"The Ducati has quite a few good things, I can't highlight just one,” he said. 

“The entire package they have, how they control it, how they work, what the bike gives you, everything in general is well.

"I would tell you that they don't have any weak point, that is to say, they have a weaker point, but the thing is that the others are very good.

“Maybe in the turn we suffer a bit more, but the other is very good, both the stop, how to accelerate, stability…

"That's where you have to know where to get the most out of the situation. 

“I think it's not just the engine or just electronics.

"It's how you combine the power that you have in the engine with the electronics and how you transmit it to the rear wheel.”