Marc Marquez will race with the Gresini team next year, after a 2023 season lacking in results which led him to leave Honda a year before the end of his contract. The eight-time world champion played eleven seasons with the Japanese brand, making his MotoGP debut in 2013 and taking 59 victories and six world titles.
Since the announcement of his farewell to Honda, Marquez has never ruled out the possibility of returning one day, although in the November tests in Valencia he recognized that in that case it would not be his decision alone. “I don't want to close the doors,” he said when asked if returning to Honda was an option if the Japanese brand improved.
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Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
“For this reason, I have said it in several interviews in the past and I say it again: the relationship with Honda was wonderful and when we decided to split our paths, it was because we both agreed. We have full respect for each other, I don't want the situation to become critical because I still like to keep the door open for Honda,” said Marquez.
The rider from Cervera then continued by effectively making a sort of declaration of love to Honda: “Who knows, maybe the other manufacturers won't want to hear it, but Honda will be the team of my life, of my career. I have won six world titles and many victories. With other manufacturers I won't do all these numbers. Honda will always be the most special team in my heart, but we'll see if our paths cross again in the future. It won't just be my decision.”
In 2024 Luca Marini will take over from Marc Marquez in Honda. The Italian has signed a two-year contract with the Japanese brand. In Valencia, Joan Mir also praised the 2024 Honda tested, noting that it was the first time he had tried something on the RC213V that actually worked. Marquez's debut on the Ducati ended in fourth position, just 171 thousandths of a second from the best time of the day.
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