Marc Marquez has expressed that he is relishing his new venture with Gresini Ducati in 2024 but conceded that he is “missing something” to fight for the MotoGP title.
The Spaniard has sustained an impressive start to his time outside the Honda ranks, securing five podiums across the opening five rounds to sit third in the standings.
At the most recent French Grand Prix, Marquez qualified a lacklustre 13th and failed to make it to Q2, but he fought his way up the grid to finish second in both races.
Francesco Bagnaia believes the top three finishes at Le Mans (himself, Jorge Martin and Marquez) are the main title contenders, but the eight-time champion disagrees.
“I’m just enjoying. You can see it on my face,” he said to MotoGP’s After the Flag. “You see all what we have inside the box, the atmosphere is relaxed.
“We started 13th but it was no panic. Ok, we know that to fight for a championship you need to be on the level like Martin and Pecco.
“They are all the practice in the top positions. Still, we are… for example, this weekend we learned something on that Friday afternoon, that we chose the wrong direction [with bike set-up].
“So, we’ve learned for the future. But we need to understand that still we miss something to fight for the championship.
“But for me, I’m super happy to fight with the two top guys inside Ducati.”
Ducati will be making the all-important decision soon on who will fill the factory seat and become a team-mate to reigning double World Champion Bagnaia for 2025.
Speaking to Sky Italy post-race in France, Marquez revealed that he didn’t mind where he ended up as long as he is provided with a works-spec bike for next season.
“When I made this decision, I knew that Ducati was the strongest bike,” he said on his Honda departure.
“I decided to race with the strongest bike and see what I was capable of doing because even I had the doubt whether I was finished or not.
“Now, I am competitive. Since I am, clearly next year I want to try to have the latest evolution, any bike, any colour, any brand.
“Because to fight for the world championship you have more opportunities. But I have clear ideas.”
