Gresini: Marc Marquez? “You can see the lap time…”

That silence will continue until January 1st, when the eight-time world champion is officially released from his Repsol Honda contract.

But Marquez was grinning after his first run on the Desmosedici and the lap times spoke for themselves.

Looking fast and comfortable throughout, Marquez even topped the timesheets during the middle of the afternoon.

The Spaniard eventually finished in a close fourth place, just 0.171s behind Aprilia test leader Maverick Vinales and 0.078s from the quickest Ducati of VR46s Marco Bezzecchi.

Marquez's 1m 29.424s lap time, set on his 46th lap, was just a fraction behind his best lap of the weekend (in qualifying) on the RC213V. And this time, Marquez didn't need to try and find a tow.

• 2023 Valencia MotoGP Test Results - FINAL

“This day was amazing for the team. The feeling is great on both sides of the garage,"  Gresini team manager Michele Masini told MotoGP.com

"About Marc, I cannot speak, but the lap time you can see...

“We are a bit tired after this long season, but now we can’t wait to start the new season.

“Always feet on the ground, but with this atmosphere we can work really well next year.”

Alex Marquez, whose flying form this year surely influenced Marc’s decision to quit Honda and join Gresini, was sixth fastest and only 0.385s from the top.

"We did one run with the '22 bike and then changed to the ‘23," Alex Marquez said. "I need to adapt the riding style because power delivery is a little bit different.

"But apart from that, the new aerodynamics and everything were better for my front feeling and it's something really positive for the future."