Marquez Talks About Adjusting Riding Style to Match His Bike
Marc Márquez, one of the greatest names in motorcycle racing history, is facing a new phase in his career as he adapts to the Ducati of the Gresini team in the 2024 season. After years of success riding a Honda, Márquez now finds himself challenged to adjust his riding style to a bike with completely different characteristics.
After finishing third on Friday’s practice at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, and being the second fastest in the morning session, Márquez stated that he has already overcome the adaptation phase to the new bike. “The adaptation is over. Now it’s time to work on the small details,” said the rider, showing confidence in the progress made so far.
Márquez pointed out that despite feeling like he is “inside the bike” and showing his speed right from the start of the practice, he still faces difficulties in putting together all the elements necessary for a consistent performance throughout the weekend. This has been evident in his season, where despite showing good pace, consistency in Sunday races has been a goal yet to be achieved.
The adaptation issue is complex, as Márquez admits that his riding style was shaped by Honda over a decade. “My riding style is made for Honda, and then I tried to adapt,” he explained. However, he also recognizes that there is a limit to this adaptation. “It is impossible to completely change the riding style of the last 10 years.”
This difficulty in full adaptation led Márquez and his team to try to adjust the Ducati to better suit his natural style. This strategy has proven effective, allowing Márquez to be fast and more consistent on his new bike. However, he emphasizes that there are always small problems to be solved, which prevents the team from putting all the pieces of the puzzle together in a race weekend.
A recent example of these difficulties was the brake problem Márquez faced at the Americas Grand Prix, where a front brake defect caused him to abandon the race after taking the lead. Since then, the team has made adjustments, including changing the brake lever and making internal modifications to the system, in an effort to prevent the issue from recurring.
Márquez believes these changes are a step in the right direction, but admits the brake problem is not yet fully resolved, especially in extreme heat conditions, which could become a challenge at other tracks.
With a career marked by adaptations and overcoming challenges, Márquez continues to strive for perfection in this new phase, showing that even after so many years of success, his fighting spirit and pursuit of evolution remain intact.
