It was expected and Honda, which allowed Marc Marquez to terminate a contract prematurely until the end of December 2024, should not be surprised by this news, which is perhaps the first of its kind. The Red Bull logo will no longer appear on the fairings of the Repsol RC213V, despite a binding agreement that was also in place until the end of the theoretical contract of the eight-time world champion. The Austrian drink that would give the Spaniard wings to fly away from the Honda factory team to Gresini Ducati. Another brand, Estrella Galicia, is allegedly ready to follow the same path.
The more time passes, the more we wonder how Honda is managing its MotoGP project. Technically, we have known for a long time that the HRC men are being overtaken by the new situation created by Ducati. But politically, recent events make us think about a balance before closing. First, it was decided to release the reference pilot Marc Marquez before the end of his contract, in late 2024, without penalties, but also without restrictions: on November 28, he can start working at Gresini Ducati in the first MotoGP end-of-season test in Valencia.
But there is more to come. Sponsors are now leaving the RC213V Repsol fairing. According to Speedweek, Red Bull will join Marc Marquez at Gresini Ducati. Of course, Marquez will not race for free, and this strong message already gives us an idea of where he could go in 2025… For Honda, this partnership, which has been ongoing since 2006, is not neutral, as the contract signed with the Austrian brand until the end of 2024 prohibits it from establishing any agreement with another company with the same name. Surprisingly, even if it were to withdraw prematurely from its investment…In terms of sports drinks, Honda may not have finished the drink yet, as Estrella Galicia, the Spanish beer company without energy virtues, is the next brand to withdraw. This year, Estrella Galicia did not put all its eggs in the same basket, following Alex Marquez to Gresini Ducati and Marc to Repsol Honda. Now that the two brothers are reunited, there is no reason to split the budget between two teams.
And what about Repsol? It is unlikely that the energy supplier will change its plans, especially at this crucial time when it will be necessary to communicate about the sustainable fuel that will start to be found in MotoGP tanks next year. The current agreement is valid until the end of 2024. Honda will have thus lost not only its eight-time world champion, but also its investors. That being said, the savings of an estimated annual salary of 15 million euros should be enough.
