Marquez “will raise the level” of Ducati’s MotoGP competitiveness – Tardozzi

On Tuesday, eight-time world champion Marquez will make his first MotoGP appearance on a bike other than a Honda for the first time in the post-season Valencia test.

Marquez will ride the 2023-spec Ducati that won the world championship this year in Gresini colours next season, after electing to leave Honda with one season left on his contract following a difficult campaign.

How Marquez will assimilate into Ducati has been a topic of discussion since the announcement that he will leave Honda came last month.

Tardozzi, who believes Ducati’s approach to satellite teams has helped raise Ducati’s level in MotoGP, says Marquez will take this even further in 2024.

“Raising again the level of the competitivity,” Tardozzi told Autosport when asked what he thinks Marquez will do for Ducati.

“He will raise the level because tomorrow Marc will be very, very, very fast. I almost bet on him [finishing] in first position at the end of the test.

“It’s possible because he will do 300% to show this and maybe he will do this – like [Jorge] Martin will do exactly the same to show to everybody that he is a kind of world champion too.

“While Pecco [Bagnaia] will work because Pecco will work for us and his bike to let us see the way to bring the 2024 bike over the 2023.”

Marquez won’t be allowed to speak to the media following Tuesday’s test due to being under contract with Honda until the end of the year.

However, in Malaysia, while following his brother and team-mate for 2024 Alex Marquez, he offered some insight into why his transition from the Honda to the Ducati will be smooth.

“I mean, just he was riding good,” he said at Sepang when asked by Autosport what he gleamed of the Ducati following his brother.

“It was nothing special, but he was braking on the correct moment, on the correct lines, picking up the bike well and he was riding good.

“On the first time attack I tried to follow him at the end of the practice and I nearly crashed trying to recover what I lose on that Turn 3 and 4.”