Marc Sinkewitz
Motorcycle Department
MotoGP-crazy trash talker from Germany who enjoys spending time on his motorcycle.MORE
The Spaniard has already won eight Grand Prix races in eight attempts on the shortest circuit on the calendar in his MotoGP career. He had to miss the races in the last two years due to injury. Marquez only had to admit defeat in the 2023 sprint – at that time, of course, on the inferior Honda.
Marc Marquez: Cannot have any expectations with Ducati
Since the Gresini driver is now on the competitive Ducati GP23, many experts and riders consider him to be the big favorite to win in Hohenstein-Ernstthal. But as in recent months, the Spaniard is trying to control his own expectations. “Since I’ve been riding the Ducati, I’ve learned that I can’t have high or low expectations,” explained Marquez after the race in Mugello.
There, he narrowly missed the podium in the Italian Grand Prix, finishing fourth, but was once again close to his Ducati rivals Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. The Autodromo Internazionale in Tuscany was not one of his favorite tracks in the past – he only achieved one of his 59 MotoGP victories at Mugello. But in 2024, Marquez has changed his strategy.
“The most important thing is that we [in den Trainings] understand where we stand. To be honest, I thought I would have a lot of problems in Mugello, but I was fast. In Barcelona, I expected even worse,” he admitted about his home race, which he finished second after an impressive comeback. “But even there we were up there in terms of race pace.”
Since the new riding style on the Ducati makes you forget your ‘weaknesses’, Marquez can actually travel to Germany confident of victory. But that is not the case. “We have to wait and see, maybe I’ll come to the Sachsenring and not be able to fight for victory. I have no expectations. Last year I did and was taken off the track in an ambulance,” said Marquez, recalling the most bitter weekend of his MotoGP career. Back then, he had five serious crashes in 40 hours and suffered several broken bones in his thumb, ribs and ankle.
© Motorsport Magazine