The new Gresini Racing racer underwent a relatively smooth transition from Honda to Ducati. From the pre-season tests to the Portuguese MotoGP, he seemed comfortable driving GP22.
Marquez knows how to move up in the race and crossed the finish line in fifth place, having battled his way into the race to P4.
“I really enjoyed the Portuguese GP,” Marquez said upon arrival at Termas de Río Hondo, where the Argentina GP will take place this weekend.
“It was my first weekend on the Ducati and we made some mistakes, like not getting into Q2, but we knew where to improve. We didn’t finish the full race distance until Sunday, and we struggled to keep pace in the last ten laps .
“But, as I said, we know what to improve, and that is very important. It is a different circuit, with less grip. The first three or four races will be important to understand if we can be competitive.”
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Even though he feels comfortable with the GP22, the youngest of three siblings admits that he will continue to ride his motorbike in a distinctive style when driving the RC213V.
“I still ride the Honda style and use the rim a lot in the races. There are some clear ideas about where we need to go in terms of riding. I will continue to adapt to be ready when we return to Europe,” he explained.
Alex answered a question about his brother Marc Marquez, the trigger for the incident in Portimao. Driver #93 made a mistake during the race which left him and Miguel Oliveira and Jorge Martin injured.
The six-time MotoGP champion received a double long lap penalty, which Honda is now trying to cancel.
“I’m not the right person to say when he’ll be back,” Alex said of the first metacarpal fracture of Marc’s right thumb. “All I can say is he’s calm and he’s fine. It will be the second time he’s lost to Argentina in a row. He’s not happy, but he can accept it.”