The six-time premier class champion but short his contract with Honda Racing Corporation in order to join Gresini Racing, where both he and brother Alex Marquez will ride year-old Desmosedicis.
Honda has itself been surpassed by the three European manufacturers – Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia – and struggled to attract a replacement for #93, which ultimately came to be Luca Marini.
However, Marquez also endured three tumultuous seasons, triggered by his sickening crash in the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, and it is questionable whether he can ever be the same rider that he was.
Age is also a factor, with the Spaniard have last month ticked over 31 years of age in what is a young man’s game.
With a bike which dominated the championship in 2023, there is huge intrigue around how Marquez will fare, although he is wary of the talent in the Ducati ranks already.
“My target is to try to feel competitive again, then I’ll smile and have the motivation to push and keep going,” he said on the eve of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
“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 [Francesco Bagnaia], [Jorge] Martin and [Enea] Bastianini, that are riding this bike super-fast, super good.
“I need to learn from them and adapt.”
However, Marquez 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 [Quartararo in his first year, now Pedro [Acosta], 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.”
Asked if he thinks he has already started to drop, he replied: “I will understand this year.
“Last year, I was suffering but even like this, I was the first Honda. During [the first] 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 five to six positions.
“This is what I want, but not straight away in the first race. You cannot [build] a house from the top.”
MM93 also downplayed his chances of a big result this weekend at Lusail.
“I feel comfortable but not ready to fight for the podium, not ready to fight for the victory,” he cautioned.
“Step-by-step we need to create a base and try to understand during the weekends where we are.”
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