Marquez “not far” in Qatar MotoGP practice but wary of “fake day”

The eight-time grand prix world champion ended Friday’s dry FP1 fourth fastest on the Gresini Ducati and topped the rain-hit FP2.

Marquez enjoyed a strong pre-season on the 2023-spec Ducati but has repeatedly tempered expectations, doing so again after Friday’s Qatar running.

While noting that he is feeling stronger all the time on the Ducati, he’s still not at the level he needs to be in order to fight for race wins.

He also noted that with FP1 in Qatar being an unrepresentative session and FP2 being wet, it made Friday a “fake day” – and so feels more riders are still to show their speed.

“Every day I feel more ready,” Marquez said of his adaptation to the Ducati. “Not enough still, but it’s true that in Qatar it’s a circuit that I won at only one time (in 2014). So, it means it’s one of the circuits I've struggled more at in my career.

“So, even like this I’m not far, not very far from the top guys. But I want to see tomorrow.

“Today was a bit of a fake day. FP1, for example, [Francesco] Bagnaia wasn’t pushing, a lot of riders weren’t pushing 100%. On wet conditions also it’s strange. Tomorrow we will see a bit where we are.”

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez noted his feeling on the GP23 was much like it was in testing, noting that he was just as strong as he was in braking but still struggling in the fast corners.

Asked how far he thinks he has transitioned from his former riding style on the Honda, he said: “I don’t know. I can say 100%, but then in three races I will say ‘no, I was 60%’. What I feel now is that I’m doing all that I know, all that I feel, to be better and better every day.

“Of course I did in the pre-season the correct steps. I was calm, trying to avoid crashing. Of course, the race weekend is a bit different, in a race weekend you already increase the risk.”

He also admitted on several occasions on Friday he reverted to his Honda style in the way he used to have to push behind riders for a lap time.

“In fact, today, in FP1, when we went out with more riders, the Honda style again appeared,” he said. “But then I realised, then I slowed down, I was alone on the track and then I started my practice.

“And I did the same in the second run. I went out, I saw [Jorge] Martin but I slowed down, I was alone and I just kept going because with the Honda always I was looking for the slipstream, where now I need to work on myself and I need to understand many things.”