Marcꦚ Marquez’s adaptation to the Ducati may be more cha𝓀llenging because of his advancing years, Simon Crafar believes.

Marquez spent 11 seasons riওding for Honda, winning eight world championships along the way.

But he has joined Gresini to ride a year-old Ducati in 2024, hoping he can fight for the MotoGP title on ඣ📖new machinery.

“He’s in his 30s now,𝓀” warned ex-racer Crafar from inside t♏he Qatar testing paddock.

“From my own experi🐲ence, it become𝔍s more difficult to adapt.

“The younger you are, the quicker you can adapt to new bꦯikes, tyres, set-ups.

“Yo🌠u can tell he’s not j𝔍oking. He’s not pretending.

“He’s having d𒀰ifficulty changing from the Honda riding style to the Ducati riding style.

“But he’s going to do it!”

Marquez, aged 31, had a fairly low-key preseason through Sepang and Qatar, after shining in the 🧔postseason test at Valencia on his Ducati debut last year.

His crash - his first on a Ducati - in the final hour of the final day of testing could be interpreted ꦉas Marquez finding more confidence to edge nearer to the limit of his new bike.

Crafar said on the final day of the test: “Whenever ꦏit comes to crunch time - which is now, the end of the test, you’ve got to put everything together and go - you can rely on Marc to pull something out.”

ܫHe said about the serenity within Ducati: “They are totally on target. There’s no chaos.

“All of the ‘23 Ducati riders 👍- meaning Gresini and VR46 - are coming along, as well.

“You can tell that they are getting confident.

“The ones like Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi, that rode the ‘22 last year, have said that they felt better on th♍e ‘23 than the ‘22.

“Marc Marquez is making friends with it now.

“[On Mo💦nday] Marc didn’t look good. B🅺ut I believe he had more.

“Because he only used three tyres out of nine. The fastest lap time was on a 20-some🌄thing high-lap t🦩yre.

“So you knew he had more in the❀ bag. Sure enough, he showed it [on Tuesday].

“The ‘24 and ‘23 Ducatis look great.”

Marquez’s💧 GP23 is the bike that was used by Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin as they fought for the championship last year.

But factory Ducati rider Bagnaia and Pramac’s Martin have now ste🎃pped onto the GP24, which notably features a new fairing which every rider has now accepted is an advancement from last year’s bike.