Former MotoGP World Champion and Gresini Ducati rider Marc Marquez admits that “he won’t be faster than in the past” following his injuries back in 2020.
Marquez has entered his 12th season in the premier class for the 2024 season with a new team following his switch from Honda to a Ducati satellite outfit.
The opening two races saw him get to grips with the Italian squad and battle newcomer Pedro Acosta, who overtook the Spaniard in both Qatar and Portugal.
Those fights have resulted in comparisons between the two riders, as Acosta reminded the paddock of Marquez’s approach to racing when he graduated in 2013.
Speaking on Acosta’s start to his debut season, Marquez believes that upcoming riders “are not conscious” about their riding upon their progression to the top tier.
Marquez admits that he has more experience now in dealing with wheel-to-wheel situations, which has contributed to him becoming conservative in racing combat.
“One of the things when you are younger is you are not conscious about what you are doing and sometimes it’s going well,” he told Autosport.
“[When you get older] you are a bit more conservative in some points but using more of your experience.
“Some people say, ‘after the injury [in 2020] he will be stronger, with more years he will be stronger’. I will not be faster than in the past because when you are younger you have that extra.
“But of course, you can use a bit more of the experience and you must use that experience. For example, in Qatar, I was calm, in pre-season I was calm.
“I will do mistakes because we are humans, and we are the only ones that will do the same mistake two times.
“We will see if we can continue on that way. Obviously, try to understand or to learn from the top guys inside the Ducati team.”
Upon reflection on when he started in MotoGP, Marquez mentioned: “Just two days ago I was the one who is 20 years old that arrived and fought with legends like Valentino [Rossi], [Jorge] Lorenzo and Dani [Pedrosa] and now it’s completely opposite.
“The race that Pedro did in Qatar, in ’13 I was fighting with Valentino and there were the same comparisons – and also with Jorge, with Dani.
“It’s a new experience but it’s nice. And it’s the natural process of the sport.
“Everybody has this [high] period and then step by step [new] people will arrive, young riders, young talents, that will take you out and will be his time.”
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