Marquez in “no rush” to sort MotoGP future despite dwindling factory Ducatis

The eight-time grand prix world champion only signed a one-year deal with Gresini for the 2024 season and is a key piece of the rider market for next year.

While Ducati management has publicly never ruled out the possibility of Marquez being signed by the manufacturer in 2025, a new contract for reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia and Moto2 star Fermin Aldeguer have taken two factory Desmosedicis off the table.

Though the rider market is set to move pretty quickly in 2024, Marquez says he is just focused on his own season for the time being and says more opportunities will present themselves if he provides good results on-track.

OPINION: How Qatar MotoGP debut proved Marquez's Ducati switch is already paying off

“Of course, my situation is completely different than in the past,” he said when asked about his future on Thursday ahead of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

“In the past in December I signed already the contract for the next year. Right now, I have no rush.

“I mean, I just want to concentrate on myself, just try to do my best on the race track.

“And I know that if I enjoy it and I’m faster I will have more possibilities to choose a seat.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But, up to now I don’t want to speak. I just want to concentrate on myself, what I did in Qatar, what I will do here.

“Some races will be better, some races will be worse.

“But I will try to do my 100% because I know that in sport, the present counts, not the past.

“So, the present is like this and I need to work because there are two, three, four riders faster than me.”

Marquez comes into the second round of the 2024 season in Portugal having made a strong debut on the Ducati in Qatar, finishing fourth in the grand prix.

But he says his approach is the same as it was in Qatar and is aware that he is now coming to a circuit where he has no prior knowledge of the bike for the first time this season.

“The approach of the weekend is exactly the same as Qatar,” he added.

“Obviously, we have a new fact that we will go straight away to a race circuit in a race weekend that changes a bit the planning, because straight away from FP1 you have to be on the lap times, you need to be fast and it was the most difficult thing in Malaysia and Qatar [in the tests].

“In those first days I was struggling a bit, so let’s see if here in Portimao I can start straight away in that top 10 position, to jump to straight to QP2, which is the main target.

“But let’s see where we are on a completely different race track.”