Marc Marquez is an official Ducati rider. Not yet on paper, there is a season to be played in the Gresini team before wearing red, but the eight-time world champion cannot avoid talking about his future to the press microphones on Thursday of the Dutch Grand Prix. In the three weeks of “spring break”, his move to the official Ducati team for the next season was made official and this created havoc in a rider market that began to move ever faster.
In Assen, the Gresini rider finally revealed his scenarios for the future, situations that could easily be guessed, but that the rider from Cervera clarified. One of these was to remain in the Faenza team with a Desmosedici GP25. “A factory bike, of any color,” was Marc’s request and this situation perfectly embodied his desires.
However, it couldn’t materialize: “I had two scenarios where I felt great and I was confident that one or the other would come to fruition. From there, knowing that next year I am an official rider, I will have more peace of mind. But the intensity for this year will be the same, a year ago here I doubted whether it made sense to continue or not. I had made a risky decision, I was exposing myself a lot about what to do with my career.”
No Gresini with the updated bike, promotion to the official team has arrived for Marc. A scenario that was coveted not only by him. The eight-time world champion was preferred to Jorge Martin, much more favored in terms of numbers this year. Could the reason be marketing? Marc doesn’t rule it out, but distances himself from Ducati’s decisions: “Does Marc sell more than Jorge Martin? Yes. You have to ask the people at Ducati whether this aspect had an influence or not. I spoke to Gigi Dall’Igna, who came to me after the race when he was informed. He told me that in light of the performances with the GP23, the official position was mine because I could bring a lot to the team. I will give a lot to Ducati, both this year and next.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Honestly, the first goal of any rider is to be in an official team. But there was one option that made me feel super comfortable and that was having the official bike from Gresini. But this path wasn’t viable for some reason, it wasn’t up to me and it couldn’t be done. I feel very good with the team and the final point was the move to the official Ducati. I will be very proud to defend these colors because that’s what I was looking for: the best bike with the best team,” explains Marc.
“The plan is closed. That was the plan, I never denied it. This was a year of reconstruction, of returning to trust. If no victories come, I haven’t succeeded, but I’ve tried. But the plan was to have a one-year contract in 2024 to feel competitive again and to have an official bike in 2025. I got what I was looking for, I don’t care about the rest. Sometimes in sport you have to be selfish,” reveals the multiple world champion, who has finally revealed his plan for the future that was so much talked about at the beginning of the season.
However, the prospect of 2025 does not make Marquez forget his gratitude towards his past. The winning years in Honda and the 2024 rebirth in Gresini: “I don’t want to forget to thank Honda for understanding the situation of a rider by demonstrating the human side. I was thinking about retiring and they left the door open for me. I don’t want to forget Gresini either, for giving me the opportunity to create the right atmosphere to rebuild a rider. They rebuilt me and gave me back my confidence, which was vital. In the garage I said that we still have a season ahead and we will celebrate any result that comes.”
Now that Marc will be an official rider, the sponsor issue will have to be resolved. Red Bull or Monster? “This is no longer in my hands. Last year I gave up a lot, but now I’m looking for the best sportingly, without thinking about the rest. Now the whole team around will work on this aspect. Obviously I would like to continue with Red Bull, but it’s not up to me. At the moment, the only one I carry with me is Javi Ortiz, who accompanies me in Gresini and will accompany me in Ducati. Go to the best team, the one that won, you have to trust them. The entire Ducati staff made a difficult and risky decision because they said no to a great rider like Martin to take me. They will be the first to put the best people in place to bring out the best performance.”
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