Over the weekend of the French Grand Prix, Motorsport.com revealed that that same Friday the riders who attended the Safety Commission meeting had shown their concern about the wage reduction policy that some manufacturers such as Ducati and KTM have adopted.
The range goes from around 100,000 euros that a rookie can receive to 20 million that, it seems, appear in Marc Marquez’s contract. The Cervera rider signed his agreement with Honda before the advent of Covid and fractured his right arm in the Jerez accident in 2020. His bond with the golden wing manufacturer, which expires at the end of 2024, it is absolutely out of the current market movements.
Despite this, Marquez acknowledged this Friday at Mugello that his position as the best-paid driver does not exempt him from the responsibility of supervising the interests of his colleagues, a circumstance supported by the fact that he was the one who raised the issue in the Safety Commission at Le Mans.
“I think a lot of riders are racing with too low a salary. It doesn’t seem right that there is so much difference. It is true that the ‘champions’ have to earn more, but we all play our lives in the same way, ”said the Spaniard.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“We talked about it in the Safety Commission and it was I who raised the issue. I would definitely be better off if I shut up, because I’m the one who earns the most. But there cannot be riders who lap at 350 km / h and earn what someone is paying in MotoGP “, added Marquez, determined to create a kind of union that defends the riders, but without going so far as to say how he would like it to be articulated. or who would be his spokesperson: “I think it must be someone who doesn’t run anymore”.
The eight-time world champion said a few weeks ago that he assessed that, in the current situation, thinking about fighting for the title is unrealistic. Certainly, having come to this conclusion, Honda works differently this weekend, at least so it did in the first two free practice sessions of the Italian Grand Prix.
In the two rounds, Marquez tried a new chassis with the intention of starting to outline the direction to take in view of 2023. After the tests he finished in 12th position in the combined, a result that leaves him temporarily out of the group which guarantees him direct access to the second and decisive phase of qualification.
“Today we worked differently to understand the bike for the future. I worked with two different bikes, the idea is to try to make the bike run better, in less space. Honda is working hard, ”said Marquez.
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