Ducati drop Marc Marquez “alone” hint - and deliver intriguing contract info

• Will Marquez’s key engineers come with him?
• How long is the contract that Marquez will sign?
• Whose idea and decision was this deal?

Six-time MotoGP champion Marquez has confirmed that he will leave Honda at the end of 2023, bringing together an 11-year association during which he won all of his premier class titles.

It is expected that Marquez will sign for Gresini Ducati next year, riding a year-old Desmosedici and teaming with his brother Alex Marquez.

“The operation is all thanks to the people of Gresini, they are the ones who took it, not Ducati,” Dall’Igna told Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Ducati Corse general manager was asked how long the negotiations with Marquez have been going on for.

“Not for long,” he answered. “But I want to reiterate one thing. It's not my idea. 

“It was the team [Gresini] that decided to make a deal with a rider. 

“It's clear that I'm happy to see riders on my bikes who are going fast.”

Marquez must break the final year of his Honda contract to link up with Gresini next year.

Dall’Igna was asked if Marquez will sign a one-year contract, and replied: “I believe yes. But it’s a contract he has with Gresini.”

That creates the fascinating proposition of Marquez, after one year on a Desmosedici, becoming a free agent and having his choice of which team he wants to join in 2025.

It is also unconfirmed if Marquez’s key allies - such as long-time crew chief Santi Hernandez - will follow him to Gresini.

“I believe he will come alone,” Dall’Igna said.

So not only will Marquez be swapping his comfort zone of Honda, and a factory set-up, for an unfamiliar satellite team, he must do it without the guiding light of his career, Hernandez.

It is entirely possible, but unconfirmed, that Ducati do not want Marquez’s inner-circle learning the secrets of the Desmosedici then taking that knowledge to another manufacturer after one year.

Dall’Igna spoke about managing his eight-rider MotoGP team when the grid’s biggest star arrives: “This is a worry. One of the challenges to be faced. 

“We will have to be good at managing strong riders, with strong characters. 

“Beyond Marc, there is already an important concentration of champions. Perhaps one arrives that is more cumbersome, but it's a job we know how to do.”