Marc Marquez “not asking for anything more” from Ducati package
"Marc knows what he can have, he asks for nothing more"
Marc Marquez is not demanding updates to his GP23, Ducati insist.
The power of Ducati’s 2024 bike has been on display all season, particularly through championship contenders Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia.
It meant that even the rejuvenated genius of Marquez has been restricted on a year-old machine.
But Davide Tardozzi was quick to confirm that Marquez does not request additional assistance from Ducati.
“This year he is free to do his best performance on the race track,” Ducati team manager Tardozzi told TNT Sports.
“All of the technical options are in the contract. Marc knows what he can have, he asks for nothing more.
“So, Marc is showing himself as a professional rider. He knows what he has, and he’s working with the package. He’s not asking for anything more.”
Marquez’s GP23 went up in flames last weekend at Mandalika, preventing him from finishing the Indonesian MotoGP as he fought for a podium.
It means he is now 78 points behind Pramac’s Martin, the championship leader, ahead of this weekend’s Japanese MotoGP at Motegi.
His performances have been enough to earn a promotion into the 2025 factory Ducati team alongside Bagnaia.
“The relationship between the two? We think, we hope, we know it will be good,” Tardozzi insisted.
“Gigi, Mauro, myself, the engineers are focused on keeping the mood of the team how it’s been for the past couple of years.
“We are sure that everything will be good.”
In practice at Mandalika, Gigi Dall’Igna could not resist laughing when Marquez gave Bagnaia a taxi back to the pits after the MotoGP champion ran out of fuel.
Whether their relationship remains as harmonious with the title at stake remains to be seen.
“For next season, we have two intelligent guys. Not only fast guys, also intelligent,” Tardozzi said.
“They know that by working together they can develop the 2025 bike in a very good mode.
“In the end, it will be the race track which tells us who is faster. But both riders will be very fast.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
