Carchedi plays down expectations for Marc Marquez: ‘Haven’t thought about Qatar’

With preparations set to begin in the form of the first official MotoGP test of 2024, Marc Marquez will have all eyes firmly upon him as he jumps aboard his Gresini Ducati.

Following a one day test at Valencia last year, Marquez will be back onboard his 2023 prototype machine as he looks to begin a title push. 

Marquez is expected to challenge for race wins and possibly the championship in 2024, but understanding his potential is something even Carchedi is yet to discover.

Speaking about the Valencia outing and what they were able to take away from it, Marquez’ crew chief Carchedi said: “Everything happened so fast that you literally finish one race and then start the test. There’s a period of two minutes where you think ‘ooh [this is exciting] but then it starts and your mind is on the bike, on Marc.

“When conditions are awful and you’ve only got one bike in the garage it makes it really tough. You can’t afford any breakdowns, any slip ups.

“It was stressful from that point of view but to be honest, we found something in the conditions that was okay and did as many laps as possible.”

With regards to the upcoming season, Carchedi remained tight-lipped about what he expects from Marquez.

A world champion crew chief with Joan Mir in 2020, Carchedi could repeat that feat in 2024 and help Marquez become the first-ever satellite rider to win the title in the MotoGP era.

But Carchedi says they haven’t even begun thinking of the opening round in Qatar, instead turning their attention to next week’s three day test at Sepang.

“We haven’t even thought about Qatar,” said the Brit. “Our whole thing at the moment is the Sepang test, and it’s like anything, the higher you step on a ladder you always try and go higher and the more you do.

“The idea of the Sepang test is to start as high as possible and improve. Where that will be come Valencia 2024 your guess is as good as mine.”