The six-time MotoGP world champion made his Ducati race debut on Saturday in Qatar in the first sprint of the year, finishing fifth after qualifying sixth for Gresini Racing.
Marquez was a factor in the podium battle before a late mistake cut him adrift, but he still said he achieved the goal he set out for himself ahead of the season.
The Qatar GP sprint result hasn’t altered his feeling that his decision to quit Honda was correct, which he was already “fully convinced” by, and notes that his current form makes things “less stressful” for him.
“For me, it’s the correct decision until the end,” he said when asked if his Qatar sprint result validated his decision for him.
“When I took the decision I was fully convinced and I’m [still] convinced. And what I said on Thursday, my target is to try to fight in those top six positions.
“Why? Because when you are fighting there you feel competitive. You can win or not; to be world champion you need to be precise in many aspects.
“But at least if you are fighting in that top five position, top six position, you feel competitive and the weekends are shorter. Shorter and easier and even less stressful.
“This is something that here in Qatar, which was one of the nightmares of the previous years, this year I’m enjoying, I was able to be in QP2 alone, then the first time attack I was completely [on track] and I was in those top four positions. So, this is something that I really like.”
Source: Autosport