When Honda favored the departure of Marc Marquez from the Repsol team a year before the expiration of the contract, in addition to losing what is probably the best rider on the grid, it knew that it would lose the support, or part of it, of some of its sponsors .
Red Bull, the energy drink company, has signed a sponsorship contract with the Honda team linked to the presence of one of its jewels, the #93.
Not only could the contract between the Tokyo-based manufacturer and the drinks company be terminated if Honda lost the Spanish rider, but it also stipulates that, as is happening, the Honda factory team will not be able to seek advertising other energy drink brands until 2025 if it loses Marc before then.
A Honda source confirmed to Motorsport.com that Red Bull has officially communicated that it will apply the clause that exempts it from sponsoring the team in 2024, which also includes the impossibility of carrying any competitor’s advertising until the end of next year .
In addition to the departure of Red Bull, which according to some information, and also by pure logic given that it is Marquez’s personal sponsor, could become a sponsor of the Gresini team, where Marc will race next year, sources within Honda have said that it could be reduced also the contribution of other partners. An example could be the Estrella Galicia brewery, although at the moment this is only speculation.
For the moment, everything seems to indicate that Repsol will continue to collaborate with Honda for another year and will respect the agreement that binds them until the end of 2024, as established. However, next season could be the Spanish oil company’s last as Honda’s main sponsor after thirty years of uninterrupted relationship.
For Honda, losing Red Bull’s sponsorship and possibly reducing the contribution of other brands will not mean, in the short term, any insurmountable problem, as it will save 20 million euros from Marquez’s contract in 2024. A figure that, in part, will compensate for these losses and which, hopefully, can help the short-term development of the Tokyo manufacturer’s prototype in the MotoGP World Championship.
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