Marc Márquez decided to leave the comfort of Repsol Honda to join Gresini in MotoGP in 2024, riding a Ducati. After the decline in performance of the Japanese manufacturer, the rider wants something that is above money or comfort: to verify and prove that he is still capable of fighting for top positions.
In a Gresini press conference, the Spanish rider stated that he maintains the same ambitions but admitted that fighting for the title is a goal he does not risk setting at this time: ‘Of course it was a super difficult decision and for that reason took time. I took it after Motegi’s GP. But on the other side the ambition is the same as 2013. I’ve said many times and I’ll repeat: if I’m here it’s because I feel that I have the chance and the level to fight for those top five positions. I cannot say fight for the championship, because for that you need to be extra in many points. But I still feel I can fight for those top five/top six positions’.
Regarding the reason for choosing Gresini – and not ruling out a future return to Honda – Márquez commented: ‘I’ve chose that direction to have a longer career. Just this. The easiest way was staying in Honda: it would be less pressure to myself, more money on my bank account and many different things. But it’s not the target. I’m very thankful to Honda, I said in Honda’s Thanks Day and I say here again: maybe in the future we can cross again our paths. But it’s not only my decision, I also need to be fast on the race tracks, to have more options to chose. If I’m fast on the race track, then I’ll be in a better position to chose my future’.