When Marc Marquez embarked on his journey as a Ducati rider, it was expected that he would not only have to catch up to his competitors Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin in the race for the 2023 title, but also face other riders who had the same bike as him. Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, and Fabio Di Giannantonio were all considered strong contenders in the GP23 category. However, two rounds and four races into the season, Marquez is the only one who has been able to challenge the current Ducatis.
The question arises: why is it that only Marquez, who is relatively new to Ducati, has been able to perform well? Bezzecchi, in particular, has struggled to adapt to the 2023 bike and has had difficulty finding the right riding style. He compared his experience to the struggles of Enea Bastianini last year. Despite some improvements, Bezzecchi still feels he has a long way to go to reach the front runners.
In addition to the challenges of the bike, Bezzecchi has also faced difficulties with his starts and the Ducati clutch. This, combined with his discomfort with the GP23, has made it even harder for him to compete. Di Giannantonio, on the other hand, has had a mixed performance so far. He crashed in both sprint races and struggled with rear grip in Portugal. He attributes these issues to the team still understanding his needs and vice versa.
As for Alex Marquez, he has been focused on reducing his mistakes from last year. However, he still had a crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix and was not as fast as he had hoped. He acknowledges that his brother, Marc Marquez, has been performing exceptionally well and believes that the ability to turn the bike is one of his strengths.
In conclusion, although Marc Marquez’s three colleagues in GP23 have their own reasons for their current positions, it is worth noting that Marc has managed to keep up with the factory Desmosedicis. If he continues to outperform his Ducati competitors, this could affect his market value as a rider.
