Markus Zoerweg
Head of Motorcycle Department
With the outstanding MSM motorcycle gang, Markus keeps things running at MotoGP, WSBK & Co. He likes to irritate people with his Austrian accent.MORE
Starting position 13 in Le Mans, starting position 14 in Barcelona: The MotoGP qualifying has not gone as planned for Marc Marquez recently. In Mugello, he was much more competitive on Friday. He finished the afternoon training session in fifth place, thus securing direct entry into Q2.
Marc Marquez: Q2 entry should be normal
“I am of course happier and more relaxed than on previous Fridays, but ultimately it is only a Q2 finish. That should be normal for me and not worth questioning,” Marquez said on Friday evening during his media round, not breaking into cheers. “We changed the strategy a little in training today to better prepare me for the time attacks at the end. I am closer to that now, but it is still not enough.” Marquez was only a little more than a tenth of a second behind second-placed Alex Rins, but he lost 0.407 seconds to leader Francesco Bagnaia.
Overall, Marquez was quite happy with his performance on Friday: “I rode well and had a lot of fun. Ducati is working really well here at Mugello. We didn’t have to change anything on the bike today. I came here with certain memories and in the first few laps I thought that this must be a different track. Everything felt much smoother than in the past.”
What will Marc Marquez do in 2025?
Marquez is seeing positive developments on the track. However, the situation for the MotoGP superstar seems to be getting worse in the transfer poker. According to a report in the Gazzetta dello Sport, Jorge Martin will get the place in the Ducati factory team alongside Francesco Bagnaia in 2025. Pramac Racing will once again receive two current motorcycles, but Marquez does not want to switch to Paolo Campinoti’s racing team. And there will most likely not be a Desmosedici GP25 for Gresini.
If Marquez wants to achieve his goal, which he has repeatedly stated recently, and ride a modern motorcycle in 2025, switching to another manufacturer is probably his only option. According to paddock rumors, KTM is in pole position, and Aprilia could also be an alternative.
Marquez himself was very relaxed on Friday. He said that he is not bothered by the fact that he now has to deal with different plans for the future. “That is exactly what I wanted. That is why I signed this one-year contract with Gresini. I believed in myself and my potential and knew that I would have several options if I showed my potential. Fortunately, I have these options now. Of course there are priorities. The people who make the decisions know about them,” said the 31-year-old.
© Motorsport Magazine