How Qatar MotoGP debut proved Marquez's Ducati switch is already paying off

Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP outing on a Ducati went about as well as it could have. That might not seem like much when taken at face value. Fifth in the sprint and fourth in the grand prix last weekend under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit are not perhaps the results many were hoping for when the six-time MotoGP champion jumped on the all-conquering Ducati. But let’s put that into a bit of context. For 11 years, Marquez rode the RC213V Honda.

Marc Marquez was in close pursuit of the leaders on his Ducati GP debut Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images His average lap was just 0.160s behind that of race winner Bagnaia; 0.098s behind second-place Brad Binder on the KTM and 0.063s outside of Martin. Based on this, fourth was exactly where Marquez should have been. That didn’t stop him from giving the podium a good go in the latter stages, getting to within four-tenths of Martin at one stage before the Pramac rider shot away.

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