Paddock optimistic as Marc Marquez “restrains himself” on Ducati debut

Marc Marquez will be pleased with first MotoGP round on a Ducati after✃ finishing 18 seconds ahead of the best Honda

Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marc Marquez was overtaken by Pedro Acosta but claimed the position back to end the Qatar MotoGP positively.

Teenage premier class debutant A🍬costa thrillingly dived past the ♏esteemed Marquez into fourth to signal his intention.

But when🍨 Acosta’s tyres were worn, Marquez secureꦛd P4 on his first grand prix riding a Ducati.

TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson inꦚsisted Marquez will be “pleased, very pleased”🅠 with the first round of 2024, and his first since leaving Honda.

Hodgson continued: “Look, where did the Hondas finis🐻h? The top Honda ꦇwas Johann Zarco in 12th place.

“You’re not in the race, are you?

“So if Marc was on the Honda, of course he’d be in front of [the current Honda riders]. But he’d be nowhere nea♎r the front.

“Marc wants to win but this was ღa solid weekend for him.

“I’m pleased he didn’t crash.”

Marquez finished 18 seconds in front of Zarco, the best-placeꦬd Honda, in Qatar on Sundaꦆy.

Sylvain Guintoli said: ⭕“He’ll be happy with that, really happy. He is still adapting to the Ducati riding style afteꦓr spending all that time at Honda.

“Making that lap time in the braking zones, he’s having to restrain himself, not to push the bike toꦺo hard, and to use the ef▨ficiency of the Ducati on the corner exit.

“It’sꦚ working. This is not his favourite track.🦂 He has only won once here, even when he was dominating.

“He’ll be really happy with both of his races. He was close the podium, great race pace, there wouldౠ have been a lot of lജearning.

“꧅Watch out for Marc Marquez in the rest of the🅰 championship!”

Michael Laverty added: “It’s a tough track for him - he’s not crashed, he’s not made man꧅y mistakes, he’s brought it home in fourth and fifth, won points. He’ll be going home happy, for sure.”

Marquez quit Honda after three injury-ravaged seasons on a bike which bec🐬ame less competitive.

Riding a GP23 Du❀cati, he finished fifth in Saturday’s sprint before claim🌜ing P4 in Sunday’s race.

Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning champion, won the grand prix after Jorge Martin won the sprint, meaning last year’s title rivals are immediately🥃 estab꧒lishing themselves in 2024.

Marquezꦗ may have some way to go before he can enter the championship fight, but in Qatar he made notable progress.

Tech3 GASGAS’ Acosta, meanwhile, is the most exciting rookie in the premier class since Marqu🍎ez in 2013💫.

He fell 💫back to a P9 finish after exciting overtakes on both Marquez brothers.

Laverty ♌said: “At🐓 one point, I thought ‘dare to dream!’ A podium on his debut?

“But there was a🔴 comfort issue, he was 💖losing grip. He started to adjust himself on the straights.

“These overtakes were against seasoned campaigners in MotoGP. He means b♉usiness, a class act.

“He’s so ♐in co꧟ntrol of his machine. Whether it kicks sideways when he didn’t expect it to, he got it back in line.

“His overtakes were clinical. He was at one with his motorcycle and it was a shame that he dropped back a🌠t the end.

“There was m𝕴oܫre in the locker. Without the tyre wear issue…

“You could ℱsee what it meant🧜 to him and the team. An excellent first weekend in MotoGP.”

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