Gresini MotoGP rider Marquez says he “won’t be faster than in the past”

The current campaign is Marquez’s 12th season in the premier class, having made his debut 11 years ago in 2013 with Honda.

In the first two grands prix of the 2024 campaign, Marquez has found himself in battles with Tech3 GasGas rookie sensation Pedro Acosta, leading to comparisons between the two.

Commenting on Acosta’s form, Marquez says young riders “are not conscious” about their riding and this is something the 31-year-old will never be able to recapture in the latter years of his career.

“One of the things when you are younger is you are not conscious about what you are doing and sometimes it’s going well,” he said.

“[When you get older] you are a bit more conservative in some points but using more of your experience.

“Some people say, ‘after the injury [in 2020] he will be stronger, with more years he will be stronger’. I will not be faster than in the past because when you are younger you have that extra.

“But of course, you can use a bit more of the experience and you must use that experience. For example, in Qatar, I was calm, in pre-season I was calm.

“I will make mistakes because we are humans, and we are the only ones that will do the same mistake two times.

“We will see if we can continue on that way. Obviously, try to understand or to learn from the top guys inside the Ducati team.”

Expanding on this, Marquez added: “Just two days ago I was the one who is 20 years old that arrived and fought with legends like Valentino [Rossi], [Jorge] Lorenzo and Dani [Pedrosa] and now it’s completely opposite.

“The race that Pedro did in Qatar, in ’13 I was fighting with Valentino and there were the same comparisons – and also with Jorge, with Dani.

“It’s a new experience but it’s nice. And it’s the natural process of the sport.

“Everybody has this [high] period and then step by step [new] people will arrive, young riders, young talents, that will take you out and will be his time.”