RiderTua.com – Carlo Merlini (Gresini Commercial & Marketing Director) said, “Qatar was a great first race weekend with Marc Marquez in our team. I think he has gone all out in his approach to the team and the bike and has done everything he can , reached the end of the race close to the podium,” he said. But Marc saw that this time he did not succeed in doing so and he remained in 4th place at the finish line.
Marc Marquez’s big smile was clearly visible after his debut with Ducati at the Qatar GP. The 31 year old rider will return to action with the Gresini team this weekend in the second series of the 2024 Portimao MotoGP season. For your information, Marc finished a promising P4 at the Qatar GP which aroused interest in what might happen in the future.
Carlo Merlini: Don’t talk to Marc Marquez, just look at his big smile
Merlini added, “We have to understand that we were on a track that was not his favorite and he reached the front quickly and Marc finished very close to the podium in his first race on a Ducati bike. This is a dream come true. We know the story of his signing, the road to coming here and the dialogue that took place with Marc. All that brought him here and he is close to the podium.”
The key to understanding Marc Marquez’s happiness with his new bike is his body movements after his first race. Once Merlini arrived at the garage after the race, he had no choice to talk to Marc. But just seeing Marc’s smile was enough for him to understand what the Spaniard was feeling. He had a smile so wide it almost didn’t fit on his face. And when Marc smiles, it means he is happy. “Riders who don’t perform well definitely look sad and Marc is happy with us,” added Merlini with a laugh. That’s the reason why Marc joined the Gresini team and they are also very happy about this.
Merlini further explained that in the test Marc didn’t know exactly where he was, but now the oldest Marquez is confident that he can be at the front, be part of the leading group and according to Merlini and the team, they will have fun with him. Alex Marquez also ran a very good race to start the 2024 MotoGP season..
4th place is outside the podium and it is not satisfactory, but this early 4th place from Marc means a solid performance. We know that he didn’t come by luck and he will be able to be at the front in almost any race. He said the top 5 was his target and he achieved it, concluded Carlo Merlini.
