Is it time for Marc Marquez to consider a new team?
Thursday, 27 April 2023
The Spaniard’s future is up in the air.
Marc Marquez has just announced that he won’t be racing at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez.
This now marks the third race in a row he’ll be sitting out due to an injury sustained in Portugal.
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With Honda failing to deliver a package good enough to fight for the title this year, it’s starting to raise questions about whether Marquez should look elsewhere to win an elusive ninth title.
We’ve looked at all the other manufacturers across the grid to assess their chances of a shock move.
It’s important to note that Marquez has a contract with Honda until 2024, but never say never in MotoGP™.
Ducati
The Bologna manufacturer is currently the dominant force in MotoGP™, and they look well on course to take back-to-back riders’ titles this year.
A few years ago, Ducati would have paid just about any price to secure Marquez’s services, but the bike is so good they might not need him anymore.
Another roadblock is that the factory team has its line-up sorted with Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini both on multi-year contracts.
If Marquez were to move to Ducati soon, it might have to be with full factory support at a team like Pramac.
Whether the big bosses at Ducati would want to see their factory bikes being beaten by a satellite team is a huge question.
If you were going to pick any bike to hop on, it would have to be a Ducati.
Aprilia
This could be the underrated choice for the eight-time champion.
Aprilia has made massive ground on the competition in recent years and many pundits consider this to be the second-best bike on the grid, just behind Ducati.
It would also mark a huge statement of intent that they are all in on fighting for a MotoGP™ championship by signing Marquez.
Whether they could afford the pay packet required is up for debate.
You could easily see Marquez fighting for a title quickly on this machine.
Yamaha
Seeing Marquez in blue leathers would certainly be a strange sight, but one that’s not impossible.
Yamaha is the second most successful MotoGP™ manufacturer and contends for titles on a regular basis.
However, like Honda, they seem to have slipped behind in their development compared to the Italian manufacturers.
Pairing with Fabio Quartararo would make it a super team, but it could easily cause tension between them.
You also must remember the bad blood that came from the Sepang 2015 incident with Marquez and Valentino Rossi. The team would not have forgotten about that.
Overall, there seem to be too many barriers to make this a realistic move.
KTM
There are a few reasons why KTM makes sense for Marquez.
They match his big personal sponsor with Red Bull, and it could suit Marquez’s style not being all that dissimilar from the Honda.
Brad Binder and Jack Miller are also on multi-year contracts, and both seem to be doing a great job for the Austrian team.
If Marquez were to move here it would likely have to wait a few more seasons.
