Honda livery: without Marquez, Repsol is hiding | FormulaPassion

Repsol-Honda: it's a crisis

The 2024 season will be the team's 30th Honda official will take to the track with its main sponsor Repsol, Spanish leader in the oil sector. Even before Valentino Rossi's successes, the partnership between the two companies had given birth to one orange livery among the best known and most distinguishable not only in the MotoGP, but also in the entire world of motorsport. However, this solid marriage is starting to show its first cracks, with confirmation coming directly from Repsol.

Smaller image

The Iberian company has in fact decided to reduce their visibility on Joan Mir and Luca Marini's RC213Vs for the next championship, just as it will also limit its logos inside the pits and in Honda's hospitality. Motivation is closely linked to departure of Marc Marquez, who signed for the Gresini team after 11 seasons spent with the Japanese team. Repsol, which had also signed a contract renewal with Honda in 2023 for one year, had actually set certain conditions. Among these, Marquez's permanence, which thus pushed the sponsor to renegotiate the agreement and to limit their logos for 2024.

The colors of Honda

Furthermore, the partnership worsened after Honda's decision to strengthen its image, expanding its corporate colors, red, white and blue, on the liveries of all its official teams, both in MotoGP and in other categories such as Superbike, Dakar and motocross. A decision that Repsol did not like, so much so that Mir and Marini have not yet been called up for the usual ritual photos for the official launch of the new team, with the session organized by Repsol itself and scheduled for February 13th in Madrid. At present, in fact, there is still no definitive agreement on the design of the motorcycles.

Distant sponsors

The ongoing crisis comes after a big loss for Honda in terms of sponsorships for 2024: again due to the departure of Marc Marquez towards Gresini, the Japanese team had to deal with Red Bull's exit from the scene, who gave up on continuing the partnership. In addition, Honda does not appear to have any plans for the entry of new sponsors, and has no guarantees for current ones as well Estrella Galiciawith the Spanish brewery not seeming willing to incorporate its logo on the fairings of Mir and Marini's motorbikes.