Marc Marquez has offered his first official appraisal of his new Ducati package as the turn of the New Year heralded the official end to his tenure with Honda and the start of a new MotoGP era with Gresini Racing.

The six-time MotoGP World Champion makes the much vaunted switch to the Ducati stable this season, Marquez joining his brother Alex in the satellite Gresini team aboard a year-old Ducati GP23.

Though Marquez has already tested with Ducati during the one-day post-season MotoGP test in Valencia - where he turned heads by posting the fourth fastest time straight out of the box - it is only now that he has been contractually permitted to talk about his new deal.

Speaking with Spanish broadcaster DAZN, Marquez says he was surprised how quickly he adapted to the GP23 package

"I was nervous, I had butterflies in my stomach,” he said. “Even though I won a lot, it was a big change for me.

"I was able to adapt much faster than expected. I quickly felt very comfortable, the feeling was very good. I came to the time without trying it in an exaggerated way.

"I don't like to compare motorcycles, especially not publicly. But the Ducati is a different motorcycle from the Honda that requires a different driving style. 

A deal that sees him call time on a long and successful relationship with Honda, Marquez made his MotoGP debut with the Japanese manufacturer in 2013 and would go on to spend 11 seasons with the Japanese manufacturer. 

Marquez would go on to achieve six World Championships and 59 race wins in that time, though his most recent title came back in 2019 and he has been beset by persistent injury woes in recent years.

Even so, rivals continue to consider Marquez a reckoned force on the right bike, though the man himself is quick to play down his chances of disrupting the Ducati hierarchy.

“I'm am on the world championship winning bike, so it's in my hands. There are many riders who are fast with this motorcycle."

"The speed is there, but I still have to understand many things, also from the position, and improve some things. Not so much to get faster, but above all to be more constant."