Marc Marquez: “I will understand this year” if my level has dropped

Among the many questions that Marc Marquez intends to answer in MotoGP this season is whether his level as an athlete has started to drop.

The eight-time world champion sensationally walked out of a big-money Honda contract to join his brother at the satellite Gresini team this season, where he will ride a year-old version of the title-winning Ducati Desmosedici.

“My target is to try to feel competitive again, then I’ll smile and have the motivation to push and keep going,” Marquez said on the eve of this weekend’s Qatar season opener.

“Expectations are super high, but I know what I’ve been through in the last four years. I need time. No rush. 

"I don't pretend to win from the beginning because it would be a huge mistake, especially because I didn’t win a single race. 

"And now I arrive in a manufacturer where there are two-three guys, especially Pecco, Martin and Bastianini, that are riding this bike super fast, super good.

"I need to learn from them and adapt.”

But the 31-year-old then admitted: “We cannot forget that every athlete has his moment and then starts to drop. Then you need to work harder and harder to keep flat.

"Young guys arrive, like Fabio in his first year, now Pedro, Pecco, Martin that are riding faster. So I need to learn from the younger riders and try to keep that level as long as possible.”

Pressed on whether he thinks that inevitable performance drop might have already started, Marquez replied:

“I will understand this year. Last year, I was suffering but even like this, I was the first Honda. During seven years I won six championships and one year was third.

“2020 changed my life. Since then, it’s been a nightmare. A very difficult four years. And now I intend to answer many questions to myself.

“For that reason I need time. I don’t need to answer all the questions in the first race. I need to go step-by-step. Like I did in the pre-season. If some days I finished 14th, no panic.

“Just what I want to do is feel competitive again. But that doesn’t mean winning the championship, it means fighting for the top 5-6 positions.

“This is what I want, but not straight away in the first race. You cannot [build] a house from the top.”

As such, and despite finishing a close fourth fastest at the recent Qatar test, Marquez played down his chances of an upset this weekend.

“I feel comfortable but not ready to fight for the podium, not ready to fight for the victory," he said. "Step-by-step we need to create a base and try to understand during the weekends where we are.”

The Gresini team has won the last two Qatar Grands Prix courtesy of former riders Enea Bastianini (2022) and Fabio di Giannantonio (2023).

Free practice for the 2024 event starts on Friday afternoon.