Former world MotoGP champion Marquez set to join Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez will join Ducati satellite team Gresini Racing for the 2024 season, the team said on Thursday, days after it was announced he would leave Honda, where he won six world MotoGP titles.
The announcement comes ahead of the Indonesian MotoGP on the resort island of Lombok, with just six races left in the season with the Japanese team.
“The Gresini Family is pleased to announce the arrival of Marc Marquez for the 2024 season,” his new team said in a statement on the MotoGP website.
“Starting next season, he will be the new standard bearer of Gresini Racing MotoGP alongside his brother Alex,” it said.
The 30-year-old Spaniard, who has been hampered by injury since the start of the 2020 season, had one year left of his four-year deal with Honda.
Both parties agreed to go their separate ways a year early.
“I’m excited about this new challenge. It wasn’t an easy decision because it’s a big change in every way,” Marquez said in the statement.
“But sometimes in life, it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself through the paces in order to keep growing.”
Marquez – currently 15th in the MotoGP standings – said he would likely have to adapt his riding style for his new team after so many years at Honda.
“It won’t be easy. But I’m also sure that the whole Team Gresini will help me a lot. I can’t wait to get to know the team and start working with them,” he said.
Marquez was in good spirits at a later news conference but paid his respects to his team of 11 years.
“It has been a super difficult decision. It was a little bit hard on the personal side because all my staff, all my friends, all my family are there,” he said.
“One of the big reasons, the biggest doubt, was all my team.”
Marquez said he made the decision last week to give Honda more time to deal with his exit and said that he moved to enjoy his racing again.
“The easiest way was to stay in Honda. Situation under control, bike under control. But if I want to take care of myself and my career, I need to find a new challenge,” he said. “It’s true that for a long time, especially last four years... I couldn’t enjoy. If I smile, then everything will come.”
He said he chose Gresini for several reasons, including the quality of its bike.
“It’s a big family. It has the best bike on the grid. And my brother is there,” he said. He said he would not seek to take many of his Honda colleagues across to Gresini because he did not want to “destroy” the team.
“I am trying to bring at least one mechanic, that would not be a problem,” he said. Gresini owner Nadia Padovani said it was “a historical moment” for the team.
“The fact that Marc Marquez chose to race with us in the upcoming season is absolutely fantastic and I’m extremely happy to be able to make it official,” she said.
Padovani said they were sure “he has all the potential to be competitive” next season.
Marquez joined Honda after winning the Moto2 title in 2012.
He became the youngest race winner, at Austin, Texas, in his first season in the premier class with Honda and ended the season the youngest champion.
He won the title in five of the next seasons and has 59 wins, 101 podium finishes and 64 pole positions so far in 11 seasons with Honda.