Marc Marquez hidden mission was revealed to deliberately choose to join Ducati for MotoGP 2024, apparently because of Valentino Rossi .
This was revealed by former MotoGP racer , Alex Hofmann.
He provides an analysis of what he hopes will be one of the strongest teams Ducati has ever had in the World Championship.
Expectations are growing to see Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in the same garage and see how things will develop, it seems that the Spaniard is already paving the way for the coming season.
In an exclusive interview for motorsport-total.com, Hofmann analyzes this long-awaited duel and shows that Marquez is willing to beat Valentino Rossi, although Bagnaia will not make it easy.
“This is the strongest Ducati team we’ve ever had. Marc reminds me of Valentino back then,” Hofmann was quoted as saying by MotoSan.
“He knows how to make the right move at the right time. The chances of it ending harmoniously are very low.”
The German knows Ducati General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna well from their past.
“I know how involved his thinking is. That’s why he admitted that choosing Marquez over (Jorge) Martin didn’t surprise him at all,” Hofmann said.
“It was predictable that he wanted Marc on his team. His way of thinking on a technical level is as inflexible as Marc’s on the racetrack.”
If Bagnaia wins next season against his main rival by the same score, he will surely achieve top status in MotoGP , although Hofmann is not convinced he has the necessary charisma.
“He is too sweet for this sport. To be considered a true hero, he needs the charisma of Valentino Rossi, Marco Simoncelli or the toughness of Marc, but he doesn’t have it,” said Hofmann.
“He is one of the most polite riders. Subconsciously you take that into account and wonder if he is not that great and only wins occasionally thanks to his bike.”
“Pecco is truly on par with the great riders,” he stressed.
One rider who really understands what it means to fight Marc Marquez and can give Bagnaia some advice is Valentino Rossi.
“Pecco has a lot of patience, but he can also explode. There are situations where he clearly wants to show that he is the boss. Portimao is one of those situations,” said Hofmann.
However, Marquez is still hungry for titles, his competitive spirit has never disappeared.
“If he had, he certainly wouldn’t have fought so hard to get back to the top. However, he can no longer gamble too much on his sleeve or he could lose everything.”
“Marc is desperate for two more world titles to overtake the great Valentino Rossi in statistics,” said Hofmann.
“He has to be more calculating than he did five years ago, when he wanted success at all costs.”
“I would say that he has a chance to compete for a world title next year.”
“It’s very good for the championship because we only have three Ducati manufacturers next year,” said the 44-year-old.