MotoGP star Marc Marquez compared his situation to that of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid after joining the factory Ducati team ahead of 2025.
Six-time champion Marquez will join up with Francesco Bagnaia, champion in 2022 and 2023 and firmly established as Ducati's main man.
And Marquez made reference to Mbappe's summer switch to the reigning Liga and UEFA Champions League champions when discussing the pressure of arriving at a new team.
"Vinicius is the one who is there, he is the reference," the Spaniard said on 'El Cafelito'. "Then Mbappe will have to adapt.
"Pecco is the reference in the Ducati box. He has won 11 races this year, he has played for the World Championship until the last race and he has been world champion twice in that box."
Marquez will hope for a more seamless transition than Mbappe, who has yet to hit the heights expected of him in Madrid.
Though he enjoyed a strong 2024, Marquez has not been world champion since 2019, and the 31-year-old will hope to change that with Ducati.
He revealed that an impressive end to the season helped him catch the eye of general manager Luigi Dall’Igna.
"In sport you live in the present, you are worth what you have done in your last races, and I was just standing out, adapting to Ducati," he said.
"I was getting better and better and he [Dall’Igna] decided for me. When they told me that I was the chosen one I didn't ask why, I just said 'okay, where do I sign?' and that's it.
"Gigi told me and I reacted gratefully and I'm going to try to make the decision the right one."
Turning his attention to another sport, Formula 1, Marquez also took time to praise fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who has continued to excel with Aston Martin at the age of 43.
"He is tireless," Marquez said. "Because of his talent he is capable of anything, but he is in a sport that depends on mechanics. Let's see if [Adrian] Newey makes him a winning car."
Marquez will hope he can emulate Alonso and perform well into his 30s and perhaps beyond. And in an interview with MotoGP.com last week, he revealed that his move to Gresini proved reinvigorating.
"For me, the move I did last year has already been a success, because, if not, this year I would announce my retirement," he said.
"One year ago, I had a lot of question marks in my mind, I had many doubts. Then, after one year, all these doubts disappear and I come back in a competitive level.
"We will not say the level of 2019, we will say in a competitive level that is enough to continue pushing, to continue working, and especially to have that special spirit of MotoGP.
"We taste again that victory, that podium, that special intensity that, when you’re fighting on the top, is different."
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