Following its only podium of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix, Honda announced that it had mutually decided to part ways with Marc Marquez at the end of the 2023 season, despite his one-year contract still in place.
Next year he will race for Gresini Racing on a one-year-old “old” Ducati, after debuting with the bike in the Valencia tests last month, in which he immediately shone with the fourth fastest time. After spending 11 years with Honda and winning six world titles together, Marquez said his decision to leave the team was made easier because it is “a win for both parties”.
“I mean, it's easy for me to explain,” he began when Motorsport.com asked him if he was surprised at how smoothly his exit from Honda went. “Our relationship with Honda has always been very honest, super clean and very good. We have had 11 years, in my opinion, very successful, with a winning relationship.”
“And I believe that this decision for next year is also a win-win. Why? Because I will switch to a bike that is leading the championship and I will try to achieve my goal, which is to feel competitive again.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
“Feeling competitive doesn't mean winning, it just means feeling competitive, riding more comfortably and trying to fight for the top positions in some races. The reality is that all the budget that Honda used to pay me will go to the bike. This is also important. My comfort zone was here, where I could stay, ride the motorbike and take my salary without pressure.”
“But I think the best thing for the project now is for them to invest everything in the bike. Honda is Honda. Honda will return to the top with or without me. So, I think they can do it.”
Marquez's exit is thought to have given Honda the benefit of having 15 million euros to spend on the development of the bike. The latest test of the 2024 Honda prototype in Valencia proved to be a success, with Joan Mir noting that it was the first time HRC had brought him something that worked since arriving from Suzuki.
An article by Spanish journalist Emilio Perez de Rozas for El Periodico last week revealed that Honda has managed to shave eight kilograms off the weight of its RC213V, which has helped, among other upgrades, improve the bike's overall handling .
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