He had been his crew chief for many years at Honda. Now, he's simply an attentive spectator.
Santi Hernandez has never lost sight of "his" Marc Marquez and, during an interview on Motorbike Magazine's YouTube channel, he spoke on the eight-time world champion's first Ducati-branded season.
"Compared to the beginning of the year, he's more mature and calm. You can see it in the way he's riding.
An entirely different style. Before, he was always at the limit. But, to be fast with the Desmosedici, you have to adopt a different style, and I think he's understanding that now," he said.
The Aragon GP was the turning point. "At the Motorland, he rode very cleanly, without imperfeections or movements. In some phases, he reminded me of Pedrosa," he commented.
"That race marked a before and an after. In my opinion, his goal this year was to prove that he could still be competitive, and he succeeded from the start of the championship. Initially, he was aiming for the podium and, once he did, he tried to get to the top."
"Having achieved that, he started to build for 2025," Santi continued to reflect. "I think he's still studying the bike and looking for his limit because, at times, you can tell that he hasn't fully understood how to bring out his maximum potential."
Another significant moment was in Malaysia. "When it started to rain, all of us who know him told each other it was his moment, and that's what happened.
He tried to take advantage of the situation as much as possible, even taking risks, to get closer to those in front. Starting from behind wasn't easy, but he had nothing to lose," he stated.
The Misano victory was another assertion of power. "At that time, I was surprised by his pace and how he managed the race.
The six or seven laps with a four-tenths advantage were the decisive ones, because that's where the psychological aspect plays a role," he commented.
Compared to Bagnaia and Martin riding the updated GP24, Marc is still on the old GP23. "Not having references from the past turned out to be helpful.
Everything was new to him and, in light of his former bike, he was in a favorable position," he added, before finally commenting on the switch from Honda to Ducati.
"In the past, it cost Lorenzo a lot, as it did Rossi. Changing bike, brand, and team, and still being there to fight for the top positions, isn't easy.
Everyone would like to see him fight for the title, but the most important thing is that he's found himself again," the crew chief concluded.
