Francesco Bagnaia tells Marc Marquez: “I saw you riding Ducati like a Honda”
Francesco Bagnaia quizzed Marc Marquez about his adjustment to a Ducati in Sepang
New footage has captured a behind-the-scenes catch-up between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia at the Sepang test.
Bagnaia was enquiring about how Marquez fared on the Ducati, a bike which he is still getting to grips with.
Marquez’s showing at the preseason test in Sepang was low-profile although it did show signs of optimism.
Bagnaia asked him face-to-face: “What’s the bike like? Tough, huh?”
Marquez: “Yes. Different…”
Bagnaia: “I was behind you and I saw that you were riding it like the Honda.”
Marquez: “Yeah, I have to understand [how to ride it]. In this case, [the tyre] had 22 laps.”
Bagnaia: “You could see it.”
Marquez: “But I have to understand how to do the time attacks.
“Because with the Honda you go into a corner and it starts to accelerate straight away.
“But, with this, it’s different.”
Bagnaia: “Because this bike doesn’t turn.”
Marquez: “Yes, the time attack is what I still have to understand.
“The race pace is easier.”
Bagnaia: “Yes, because in the end, the bike is stationary, it’s stable.”
Marquez: “It’s stable, it just goes and goes and goes…”
Bagnaia: “Maybe it’s a little heavy. But it’s stable.”
Marquez: “It doesn't feel heavier.”
Bagnaia: “When I was watching the Honda it looked like it was faster in the changes of direction.”
Marquez: “When they put the big aerodynamics, no.”
Bagnaia: “The latest one?”
Marquez: “Yes.”
Marquez, after leaving Repsol Honda and moving to Gresini Racing, will ride a GP23 Ducati this year.
That’s the bike which factory Ducati rider Bagnaia and Pramac’s Jorge Martin both used to fight for the MotoGP championship last year.
Back-to-back champion Bagnaia and Martin will, this year, step onto the revised GP24 while the Gresini and VR46 duos will ride year-old versions.
Marquez has one final opportunity to set up his GP23 to his liking, at the preseason Qatar test on Monday.
After those two days of testing he will enter his first race weekend since leaving Honda, in Qatar from March 8.
Rivals including Martin have already tipped him to challenge for victory on his Ducati race debut.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
