Stunning admission on Marc Marquez: “Honda doesn’t want people who aren’t happy”
Marquez refused to be drawn on his long-term future as he withdrew from the Dutch MotoGP, as a result of worsening the injuries he sustained a week ago in Germany.
His broken rib - and the hand injury from the opening weekend of 2023 - are largely attributed to over-riding a bike which isn’t capable of helping Marquez to the front of the grid.
He is contracted on a big-money deal until the end of 2024 but there are question marks attached.
Alberto Puig, Honda team manager, was asked if Marquez would still be with his team next season, and he replied: “I have to think yes.
“Because we have a contract.
“But I have to say that I think every person is free to do what he wants in life, and Honda is not a company that wants to have people that are not happy being in Honda.
“So of course, we have a contract with him, but also Honda respects Marc a lot and I want to think yes [Marquez will be a Honda rider in 2024], based on the contract, but I don't have a magic ball.”
Marquez won 56 races from 2013-2019 but has taken just three victories since his arm breaking accident at Jerez 2020.
His most recent win was at Misano in 2021, although Honda broke its own victory drought with Alex Rins at COTA.
With eight rounds of 2023 elapsed, Marquez has not yet completed a grand prix.
He had already turned his attention to developing next year’s bike before clattering into Enea Bastianini in Saturday’s qualifying at Assen, the latest in a growing line of transgressions.
His efforts to ride this weekend in the Netherlands, a week after five punishing crashes at the Sachsenring, were ultimately futile when the agony forced him to pull out.
At the lowest ebb of his career (apart from the career-threatening arm injury), Marquez would not be drawn on whether Honda is his long-term home.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
