Marc Marquez’s “winning weapon” identified by Gresini team

Gresini sporting director Michele Masini believes the “winning weapon” in the team for Marc Marquez in 2024 so far has been the atmosphere inside the garage.

Eight-time world champion Marquez took a big risk to quit Honda a year early to join the Gresini squad aboard a GP23 for this season.

But instantly the move looked to pay off, as Marquez repeatedly challenged for the podium in the first half of the season before taking back-to-back victories at the Aragon and San Marino Grands Prix.

After his Misano victory last weekend, Marquez is now just 53 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin and is coming much stronger into the title picture.

While Masini doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, he has opened up on a key element that is giving Marquez an advantage over his rivals.

“I prefer not to think about it now,” he told Marca.

“The math will come later, but it is also true that this state of grace is giving us a hand in the overall standings.

“We will see where we stand after the second round at the Marco Simoncelli circuit [at the Emilia Romagna GP].

“In Asia, we will encounter a different kind of asphalt and other conditions. We could play it out differently, but we have to continue in this way.

“I really think the winning weapon is the atmosphere in the team.”

Marquez dedicated his victory at Misano to the last Fausto Gresini and his team, saying it was the perfect way to repay them for their faith in the Spaniard.

Masini, who has been a long-time member of the Gresini structure, feels Marquez’s Misano win - on home soil for the team and coming as a result of a fightback from ninth on the grid - feels like “he gained 50 points and not 25”.

“I’ve been part of what is a family for 18 years and this is a special day,” Masini added after the San Marino GP.

“It was an unexpected success because, for sure, we expected a comeback in Marc-style. But it is in light of the track conditions that only a champion like him could interpret. So, it was superlative.

“If you add to this that we were racing at home and with Fausto’s [retro] bike [livery], it is something indescribable and priceless.

“It’s as if he gained 50 points and not 25. We’re having a golden moment, he’s enjoying riding the Desmosedici.

“He’s very fast and the atmosphere in the box is fantastic. We have to continue like this.”