Marc Marquez on why riding the Ducati is 'difficult' compared to Honda - 'Not the best way to ride this bike'

Marc Marquez admits he is having some struggles on the Ducati as he looks to adjust after coming from Honda, particularly because of the different way in which the two bikes use the rear tyre and the fact he is still in "Honda mode".

Marquez was one of the stories of post-season testing in Valencia when he looked very quick - but in pre-season testing at Sepang, the Gresini rider has looked more off the pace on a more basic set-up of the Ducati.

Luca Marini, who went from Ducati to Honda, has spoken about his own struggles making the switch and when put to Marquez about his experiences, the Spaniard said: “Completely agree. It’s completely different, the way to use the rear tyre.

“For that reason, I am still riding the Ducati like a Honda.

“In Valencia, it was OK. But here? No. I need to take out the habit of 11 years with one bike. This is difficult. Especially when you are in a rhythm, it is easier, because you have more time.

“On a time attack, you are not thinking. You go by instinct. If I ride by instinct, I ride it like a Honda. That is not the best way to ride this bike. Step by step. It is a process.

“The way to stop the Ducati bike is different but on the brake point, I'm not losing. It’s the opposite - I'm gaining compared to other Ducati riders.

"Still, I need to understand the rear grip because it's a lot. You need to understand how to use [it]. And it's for that reason with a used tyre I'm able to be in a good pace, but with a new tyre, I still don't take enough profit.

“But to stop the bike, I understand better and better step by step. In the first part of the day, I was struggling but this second part of the day was better. At the moment where I'm losing more is the exit of the corner, especially on the fast corners.

“In slow corners, I'm fast but on the fast corners where you need to have the confidence of the bike to push, it's where I am still struggling.”

Marquez will be riding the GP23 from last year as has been previously outlined but he has been using a more simplified version in Sepang and admits it has been a lot of trial and error.

“I was using a standard setting from the other Ducati riders,” Marquez said.

“I don’t want to lose the way. I don’t want to go to another set-up. Because this set-up is what I used yesterday. Today it worked better. This means I understand the bike better.

“We are trying a few things. My technician is trying to understand my riding style. We did some big changes today on the bike. Some positive, some negative. In the end, we are riding with a very standard set-up.”

At the end of day two of testing, Marquez was 14th, nearly a second off Enea Bastianini in the factory Ducati.

He did come off the track a couple of times but there was nothing too dramatic for the eight-time world champion.

Jorge Martin finished in second, with Pecco Bagnaia down in fifth. Rising star Pedro Acosta had another good day, and was eighth at the end of the test.

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