Marquez expected to leave Honda and join brother at Gresini Ducati

The stunningly successful partnership between Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda is set to come to a premature end with rumours running wild in Misano.
On the eve of this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix it has been reported Marquez may leave the only team he has raced for in MotoGP to join his brother Alex at Gresini Ducati.
It would be a bombshell move and end the saga between the six-time MotoGP world champion and Repsol Honda amid a nightmare 2023 campaign.
Marquez is currently contracted to stay at the factory team until the end of 2024, but following an underwhelming season where the #93 has a highest Sunday finish of just 12th, their partnership is on shaky ground.
In a recent one-on-one interview with Spanish broadcaster DAZN, Marquez offered a small insight into the situation.
“Yes, I know where I will be racing in 2024. As of today, I have a contract with Honda, but they have put my name on all the bikes. Someone will get it right, won’t they?,” the Spaniard said.
“Of course, there have been calls. When you notice that someone is in a difficult moment and you bet on them, there are calls, of course.
“Whether they were from one or the other, whether one rejected or not, out of respect for all the brands, I won’t say who, how, or how it happened, but there have been contacts, obviously.”
However, German website SpeedWeek has reported Marquez is as good as gone from Repsol Honda.
“Marc Marquez has made up his mind. He will leave Repsol Honda after 11 years and will form the Gresini Ducati team with his brother Alex in 2024,” the report read.
“That means the Monday test with the 2024 Honda RC213V prototype no longer matters. Because Marquez has long since lost hope for better times at Honda.”
If the move does eventuate, it will bring an end to one of the most successful rider and team combinations in MotoGP history.
Marquez arrived in the premier class as a prodigy and Casey Stoner’s replacement at Repsol Honda.
Not only did the kid live up to the hype, he won the championship in his rookie season and as the youngest ever at 20.
Marquez then dominated the 2014 season, winning the first 10 races of the year.
Despite staying a contender, the #93’s stunning run stopped in 2015 when Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi beat him to the title.
By 2016 Marquez was back to his best and he went on to win the next four world titles on the bounce.
But through a mixture of crashes, injuries and uncompetitive bikes, it has been a dry spell for the #93 with its last 59th and final win at Misano of all places in 2021.
Now the struggles of 2023 could be the final straw with rumours running wild ahead of the 2023 San Marino Grand Prix which begins tonight.
Image by Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
San Marino Grand Prix schedule
Friday, September 8
18.45-19.30 Practice 1
23.00-00.00 Practice
Saturday, September 9
18.10-18.40 Practice 2
18.50-19.30 Qualifying
23.00-23.25 Sprint
Sunday, September 10
22.00-22.50 Grand Prix
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