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It was more than positive the first day of official testing in Sepang for Marc Marquez. Despite some teething problems with the Ducati GP25, and the strong wind that affected the work on the track, the Spanish rider managed to complete more than 50 laps, setting the second best time of the day just 51 thousandths from the top occupied by Fabio Quartararo.
"My feelings are very good, they have been since the beginning and this helps to be accurate in the comments. I felt very comfortable from the very first lap, as if I had not spent two months without riding a MotoGP bike, so we started working from the second session, focusing mainly on the engine, which is the number one priority in these tests, followed by aerodynamics. These are the two things that need to be homologated and be precise about," explained the official Ducati rider, speaking about the work done, "We had two engines and the good thing was that Pecco and I once again provided the same comments.This made the team work in two different directions but to pursue the same goal, as we both had a somewhat strange feeling at a certain point in the corner, where we both felt the same problem. One step at a time, we are trying to find the right balance. Sometimes you have problems when you put a new bike on the track, but the team is solving them."
The prompt response of the Lenovo Ducati team was something the Catalan rider, who was used to working differently in an independent team like Team Gresini, appreciated.
"I was very surprised, also because it's not comparable to what I was used to last year, when we had to give 100 percent with what we had," he said, "Even in Honda we worked in this way, but it's also true that here there was a problem and there was an immediate reaction, and it's very important that this reaction happens on the day and not wait until the next day. This made our afternoon work much easier."
The eldest of the Marquez brothers then spoke about the differences found between the bike ridden in Sepang and the one tested in November in Barcelona.
"Basically, the concept of the bike is more or less similar, but it is a little better than at Barcelona because we started to solve some problems. The GP24 is a bike that has been used for a year so it already works, whereas with a new bike you have to find the balance and other things, so Pecco and I are working in different ways sharing comments. It seems like we have a lot of time with three days to go, but it's not much," he noted, not wanting to talk in detail about the chassis: "I'm not going to lie and say that I don't know if the chassis used here is different from the prototype tested in Barcelona, because everything is new to me. We refer to the bikes by saying 'one bike and the other,' and I have different feelings from what I had with the GP23 with both, so I couldn't say, because the bikes today both had the same chassis but I don't know which one it was."
Although it is only the first tests, the eight-time world champion seems to have already been able to identify the area where the GP25 has made more progress than last year's bike.
"The engine seems to be a bit smoother and has a good character. You always try to have more power, and we have succeeded, but then you have to solve other problems through electronics and beyond," he said, while talking about the brakes he added, "I feel very good in terms of braking stability."
Positive were not only Marc's feelings on the bike, but also the response of his physique.
"Today I felt very good, tomorrow we'll see. I think it will be worse," he laughed, "Even last year the winter was good, but I had surgery for compartment syndrome. Whereas this year I've been working very well and I've been very careful in motocross training, trying to be physically ready. I feel good, although obviously I have to work harder than I used to. One of the reasons might be that I'm 32 years old, but I think it's mostly because of the injuries I've had. I accept that I have to work more and I do, dedicating 12 hours of my day to my body."
In a final note, the Spanish rider had his say on the many crashes on this first day of testing in Malaysia.
"It was windy, but I always say that crashes are more unexpected when there is a lot of grip on the track and here there was already a lot of grip because of the rubber left on the asphalt in the three days of the Shakedown. I at least encountered a lot of grip when I went out and I saw some very strange crashes, like those of Fernandez and Martin, to whom I send a big hug. In the first of the three days we have three riders out," remarked Marc, according to whom one must try to take the right risks, "I did a time attack at the end of the session, but because I think I needed it since it was one of my weak points last year. You always have to take a risk when you need to. Today the time attack was pointless, but I needed it to try to strengthen one of my weak points and be more competitive, so I took that risk. To improve a point, you always have to push 100 percent."
