Marc Marquez Speaks Out on Leaving Honda for Ducati

Alex Harrington | Oct 25, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Marc Marquez (93) of Spain and Gresini Racing MotoGP before the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Marc Marquez, an eight-time world champion, has moved from Repsol Honda to Gresini Ducati. This career move marks a big shift for Marquez, who has been synonymous with Honda's success in the motorcycle racing realm.

The Spanish rider's decision was driven by a desire to ensure that he leaves the sport without any regrets. During his tenure with Honda, Marquez faced numerous challenges, including injuries and multiple surgeries, particularly affecting his right arm as he pushed an underperforming RCV to its limits.

His move from a factory Honda to a year-old Desmosedici Ducati was fraught with risk but ultimately paid off. Since joining Ducati, he has secured victories in three of the last six Grands Prix, placing him behind only Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia in the world championship standings. His performance has been so promising that Marquez has already locked in a contract with the factory Ducati team for the 2025 season.

Reflecting on his career move, Marquez has no regrets about the timing of his departure from Honda. In an interview with Crash.net, he appreciated Honda's role in his career.

"Ha, no, no! Because with Honda we achieved a lot and I feel part of Honda.

“Still, right now I’m riding a Ducati and next year I will be a [factory] Ducati rider. Of course, I will try to defend Ducati colours.”

Throughout his career with Honda, Marquez has been a dominant force, particularly during the 2018 and 2019 MotoGP seasons. Despite several injuries, he managed to clinch victories even in 2021. Yet, the challenges were significant, with Marquez often being the sole winner on the Honda RCV. From Cal Crutchlow’s last win in 2018 until Alex Rins broke the Honda drought in 2023, Marquez's talent stood in stark contrast to the struggles of other Honda riders.

"I was saying when I was in Honda – because sometimes [people] said, ‘Honda is Honda, he is winning for the Honda’. [But] there were other Hondas…,” Marquez said.

His move to Ducati was not just about finding a competitive team but also testing the boundaries of his capabilities.

"If you are a good rider, if you go to Honda and say, ‘I don’t care about the money, just I want to ride [your] best bike’, they will give to you [their] best bike if you are a good rider,” Marquez explained. “So in this case, I did the opposite. I go to Ducati and I said, ‘I don’t care about anything, I just want to ride the best bike’.”

As he advances in his new chapter with Ducati, Marquez remains focused on maintaining a strong performance. While he harbors a slim mathematical chance at the 2024 title, his current aim is to secure third place overall in the standings, ahead of Enea Bastianini, whom he is set to replace in the factory team. His remarkable performance with 345 points stands out, particularly when contrasted with VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, the next-best GP23 rider.

“Now in the future when I will retire, I will be quiet about myself because I tried everything,” he stated. “The target was to try to be longer in my career and try to feel competitive again."