Following all that—the initial teases, the declaration, the test in Valencia, the introduction in new livery—Marc Marquez finds himself, well, not at the top of the standings for the 2024 MotoGP season. Not exactly.
Rather, that title belongs unquestionably to Pecco Bagnaia, who is acknowledged by nearly every rider on the grid as not only the standard “man to beat,” but also as the rider in the best position going into the Qatar Grand Prix. He claims that his 2024 Ducati is an improvement in every way and combines the best features of its two predecessors, which he has already won titles on.Rather, that title belongs unquestionably to Pecco Bagnaia, who is acknowledged by nearly every rider on the grid as not only the standard “man to beat,” but also as the rider in the best position going into the Qatar Grand Prix. He claims that his 2024 Ducati is an improvement in every way and combines the best features of its two predecessors, which he has already won titles on.
However, Marquez is still in the running, and if you were to compile a list of the riders most likely to win the title this year, Marquez’s name certainly shouldn’t be any lower than third.
That’s not to say he’s the third-fastest rookie of the season. He may be that; he may be the fifth or sixth fastest, but even in that case, it is still conceivable that ten rounds into the season, he will still possess championship-level speed.
He has given just enough clues during the two 2024 preseason tests—while maintaining just enough plausible deniability—to maintain the level of curiosity leading up to his competitive Gresini Ducati debut in two weeks in Qatar.
