Marc Marquez says expecting debut MotoGP win would be dangerous

The 2012 Moto2 champion said maintaining a modest approach would be crucial to his debut race weekend, even though his scintillating pre-season form has garnered praise throughout the MotoGP paddock.

"Sure, it will be difficult [to win]," he told reporters at the Losail track.

"If your mentality is that [winning is essential] it will be dangerous.

"We don't discount anything because nothing is impossible, but the key is to try and be patient.

"It's a big day for me, and the expectation is quite big. I will try to go practice by practice, try all the things we need to, get the best set-up and then see how it is in the race."

Marquez admitted that he had surprised even himself by how quickly he was able to settle with grand prix machinery, but cautioned that he still needed more time before he could regularly challenge at the front.

The last man to graduate straight into a works team was Jorge Lorenzo, who duly captured pole in his first three grands prix, converting the third into a maiden victory at Estoril.

"From the beginning feel so good on the bike, which I was a little bit surprised by," Marquez said.

"It felt so good from the start, but I need more kilometres.

"I already know the circuit but I don't know the lines of MotoGP, sometimes I use Moto2 lines too much.

"I'll try my best and also try to enjoy it."

AUTOSPORT SAYS
Deputy news editor Sam Tremayne

'Nothing is impossible' is a fitting mantra for Marc Marquez.

From his supreme record in the lower categories - he's won 26 times in the last three years - to that remarkable 33rd-to-first victory at Valencia last year and onto his stunning MotoGP pre-season form, he's made a routine of the exceptional.

So does he genuinely have a chance of victory in Qatar? You better believe it.

As strong as Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi are likely to be, Marquez's talent is undeniable, his potential irresistible. Not since Lorenzo's 2008 bow has a rookie generated so much anticipation, and Lorenzo went on to take three consecutive poles and three consecutive podiums. Don't bet against Marquez doing something similar.

For all the controversy that has surrounded his progression thus far - the collisions, the spats, the talk of technical foul-play - Marquez has that rare combination of raw speed, cavalier bravado and off-track showmanship that marks him out as a future great.

Watching him take on the established legends of Rossi and Lorenzo will be fascinating to watch.