Marc Marquez leaves Honda to begin a new journey by the side of the MotoGP Gresini team. The Repsol Honda rider will now be racing with a Ducati and his brother Alex Marquez. There were speculations which assured that he would join the KTM team for whom Pedrosa is test-riding, however, he has confirmed that he will be racing with Gresini. It will be made official by signing a contract at the Indonesian track. The “Dream Team” comes to an end after making history in MotoGP: 231 green lights, 140 podiums, and 85 victories. His reason for leaving is to pursue his dream with a competitive bike.
Since his shoulder injury in Jerez, on the 19th of July 2020, Marquez has not been able to win a race nor develop an ambitious bike. He has been stuck between third and last position for two entire seasons, in which Honda has made many steps backward in engineering. As a result, the team’s bike is no longer competitive in comparison with the development of other brands such as Ducati, Yamaha, or KTM. Consequently, and according to Marquez, this is the reason why he ended the contract before its expiry date (December 2024).
Additionally, Marc Marquez’s brother, Alex, will be his team colleague. They will both be sharing the team’s infrastructure and will attempt to take the Ducati and Gresini to the peak of MotoGP’s podium.
Alberto Vergani about Marc Marquez: “Retire or change”
Alberto Vergani, manager of Marc Marquez, has stated: “When a rider no longer enjoys racing, he can either retire or change. Marc has opted for the second option, in other words, look for a bigger challenge,” he continues, “Marc does not care about having 100 o 200 million euros in his account, he prioritized being happy and enjoying riding and this makes him very admirable”. Therefore, although he will be economically penalized, Marquez has chosen to pursue his passion over its economic cost: Marc Marquez leaves Honda.
Honda and Marc Márquez will part ways in the 2024 MotoGP season. The Spaniard leaves a heart-wrenching goodbye message 👇https://t.co/jvIUOWQBSS#MotoGP | #MGP1
— MGP1 (@mgp1official) October 5, 2023