Marc Márquez's Impressive Debut with Gresini Racing Team: Valencia Test Results & Season Preview

2023-11-30 17:03:23

“We are tired after the long season, but after the first day of testing we can hardly wait for the new season to get started,” said Gresini team manager Michele Masini after new signing Marc Márquez’s first day of testing.

He had every reason for a mischievous grin, because the older of the Márquez brothers had roared to fourth place in Valencia on Tuesday, only losing 0.171 seconds to the best time of Maverick Vinales (Aprilia). Surprisingly for few, Marc was immediately faster than his brother and teammate Alex at the premiere on the Ducati GP23.

“The feeling was right, the atmosphere was great,” emphasized Masini. «We did an excellent job on both sides of the pits, even if we weren’t able to complete as many laps as we had hoped due to the windy conditions. It was a brilliant start to a new chapter.”

For the first time in his MotoGP career, Marc Márquez rode a motorcycle other than a Honda, and for the first time he had a new crew chief, Frankie Carchedi, at his side. In the smaller Gresini Racing Team, things are also different than in the larger Repsol Honda factory team. «We work in our own way and will continue to do so – we know that there is a lot of work ahead of us. We will know more after Sepang when we have covered many kilometers,” he referred to the Sepang test from February 6th to 8th, 2024.

The fact that Alex and Marc Márquez will have to ride this year’s GP23 bike in 2024 and won’t get the latest material from Borgo Panigale doesn’t worry Masini. After all, the team from Faenza also won two sprints (by Alex Márquez) and the Qatar GP (by Fabio Di Giannantonio) last season with last year’s bikes.

“We have data from a whole year, it will be crucial for us that we get the best out of the first races,” announced the Italian. “With next year’s calendar, it’s going to be an intense season. We don’t have much time to rest because we have to prepare everything for Sepang. Everyone spends Christmas with their families, then it starts again.”

Valencia test result (November 28):

1. Viñales, Aprilia, 1:29.253 min
2. Binder, KTM, + 0,028 sec
3. Bezzecchi, Ducati, +0.093 sec
4. Marc Márquez, Ducati, +0.171
5. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, + 0.263
6. Alex Márquez, Ducati, + 0,385
7. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, +0.409
8. Bastianini, Ducati, +0.543
9. Miller, KTM, + 0,648
10. Marini, Honda, +0.703
11. Bagnaia, Ducati, +0.717
12. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0,769
13. Mir, Honda, + 0.798
14. Augusto Fernández, KTM, + 0.824
15. Martin, Ducati, +0.899
16. Morbidelli, Ducati, +0.953
17. Zarco, Honda, +1,030
18. Acosta, KTM, +1,223
19. Rins, Yamaha, + 1,311
20. Crutchlow, Yamaha, +1.512
21. Nakagami, Honda, +1,723
22. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 3.059
23. Savadori, Aprilia, + 3,431