Like bits of masking tape being removed line by line, the real picture of Marc Marquez’s first season at Ducati – and what he can accomplish with the Desmosedici – has been gradually revealing itself over the course of the off-season and now the start of the campaign.
For all of the talk of the 2024 Ducati’s supremacy over the ’23 bike, Marquez finished Sunday’s race with both Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin more or less in sight, while insisting that both are still riding better than he is.
And he left Qatar, a mostly clockwise track he has never been too at ease with, with a fourth-place finish – which, over the course of his career in grand prix racing has so far meant a title at the end of the campaign every single time.
Despite this, the three riders who finished ahead of him would not fully commit to the idea of Marquez the 2024 title contender when asked about it after the race.
“He did a good job, for sure,” said Bagnaia. “It’s Marc Marquez, eight-time world champion, so I expected to see him competitive.
“I don’t know for the championship – but will be for sure one of the rivals.”
Brad Binder and Martin concurred.
