Round 5 – Spanish GP: For Marc Márquez, Focus and Energy Are Key in an Emotionally Charged Home Race
Marc Márquez heads into the Spanish Grand Prix with a cool mindset, emphasizing that while the race carries special meaning as his home GP, it’s an important round for all riders. He believes the key to success is managing the distractions and maintaining full concentration and energy throughout the weekend. Acknowledging Pecco Bagnaia as the clear favorite with three consecutive wins at Jerez, Márquez nevertheless expresses growing confidence in his evolved GP24.5 machine.
Marc Márquez
“The Spanish GP is obviously a very important race for Spanish riders, but it’s also a key race for many others. While it’s my home GP, managing the surrounding atmosphere is not an issue. The important thing is to stay in control and approach the race calmly. A home GP comes with all sorts of events and commitments, so maintaining focus and energy is critical. Jerez is a very different kind of circuit—tight, compact, and it demands a different riding style. Pecco has won here the past three years, so without a doubt, he’s the favorite.”
“The difference between the GP23 and the GP24.5 is significant. For me, the biggest improvement is in corner entry. With the GP23, I felt I was already at the limit entering corners. But with the 24.5, I’m getting a fantastic feeling—it gives me confidence, and I can keep pushing without feeling like I’m on the edge. I had a lot of crashes with new tires on the GP23, and I was trying to understand why. Jerez is a very unique track, so I’m curious to see how the new bike feels here.”
“In 2020, my feeling and level at Jerez were the best they’d ever been. But I wouldn’t say it was better or worse than now—it’s just different. I have speed now too, but I still don’t fully know the limits of this bike. With the previous bike—Honda—I knew everything about it after years of experience. I knew where to push, where to improve.”
“I’m still getting to grips with the current bike. In Qatar, I managed to improve my performance in right-hand corners, and I want to carry that momentum into this round. It’s not about better or worse—it’s just a different kind of feeling.”
“Ducati’s bike performs well at every track. It’s not unthinkable that they could win every race this season. But as we saw in Qatar, KTM and Maverick Viñales showed strong pace, so anything can happen. The key point is that Ducati is in a position to break Honda’s streak of consecutive wins.”
“The joy of winning is the same whether it’s with Honda or Ducati. With Honda, I was fighting against other manufacturers. Now, I’m competing against riders on the same Ducati machine, where we all have access to the same data. At Honda, I was fighting the bike itself sometimes, but with Ducati, I feel more in control of the machine—and that gives me the room to stay relaxed.”
“When I first entered MotoGP, I had Dani [Pedrosa] as a teammate—he was the perfect teacher. He taught me how to ride a MotoGP bike. In the early days of my career, my riding style was very similar to his, almost a copy. Though in some areas, Dani’s technique was so good, it was impossible to imitate.”
“Now that I’m 34, I’ve fully developed my own style. Pecco has a different style, and I’m trying to incorporate some of his strengths. But in the end, I race at my own limit. The ultimate goal hasn’t changed: bringing the title to my team.”