L-R: Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati, Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing and Marc Marquez of Honda celebrate on the podium after the MotoGP race in Motegi, Japan, October 1, 2023. /CFP
L-R: Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati, Jorge Martin of Pramac Racing and Marc Marquez of Honda celebrate on the podium after the MotoGP race in Motegi, Japan, October 1, 2023. /CFP
Marc Marquez of Honda leads the field during the MotoGP race in Motegi, Japan, October 1, 2023. /CFP
Marc Marquez of Honda leads the field during the MotoGP race in Motegi, Japan, October 1, 2023. /CFP
Marc Marquez during the MotoGP award ceremony in Valencia, Spain, November 14, 2016. /CFP
Marc Marquez during the MotoGP award ceremony in Valencia, Spain, November 14, 2016. /CFP
Marc Marquez kisses his trophy after winning the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award during the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 26, 2014. /CFP
Marc Marquez kisses his trophy after winning the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award during the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 26, 2014. /CFP
Spanish motorcycle road racer Marc Marquez will join Gresini Racing for the 2024 season, the Ducati satellite team said on Thursday.
Honda and Marquez agreed to terminate their four-year contract a year early, ending an 11-year association and clearing the way for the 30-year-old to switch to a Ducati machine, the dominant force in MotoGP over the last two seasons.
He will join his brother Alex, who has impressed since he made the switch from LCR Honda to Gresini ahead of the 2023 season.
"I'm excited with this new challenge. It wasn't an easy decision because it's a big change in every way," Marquez said in a statement.
"But sometimes in life it's important to get out of the comfort zone and put yourself through the paces in order to keep growing."
Marquez, who joined the Repsol Honda team in 2013, won the last of his six championships in 2019, finishing 151 points clear of his nearest rival.
(With input from Reuters)