Honda boss: “We didn’t try to ask Marc Marquez to stay if he was not happy”
Confirmation finally came in Mandalika at the Indonesian MotoGP that Marquez will join Gresini Ducati next year, leaving Repsol Honda in the process.
It brings an end to one of MotoGP’s most famous associations between Marquez and Honda but had been brewing for months.
“I think it was something that was possible,” Honda team manager Puig said.
“Marc has been trying to get a bike that suits his riding style. Honda has been trying to do it, but unfortunately we could not do it today.
“The situation was clear. He needed, let’s say, another type of bike for next year. We, as Honda, understood.
“We decided the best thing was to let him go. It’s sad but, when we look back, we did great things together.
“The Repsol Honda team with Marc achieved so many things. Honda is super grateful for all the contributions of Marc to HRC.
“I’m sure Marc is very grateful for what Honda did for him, the way it treated him during his injury, the efforts they did to prepare [everything] he needed in the past years to get all his titles.”
Puig was asked how the relationship between Honda and Marquez slowly drifted: “Frankly speaking he has been requesting an improvement in the machine for [a long time].
“The decision? He took it last Tuesday. Okay, it was something possible.
“It’s not that Honda will try to convince a rider who does not want to stay at Honda.
“Honda respects Marc a lot. If his mind is not here, and he wants to leave, Honda will never stop him from doing it.
“We didn’t try to ask him to stay if he was not happy.
“To lose a champion is always not good. But what’s worse is to give up your dream.
“We will lose Marc but the Honda philosophy is the Honda philosophy, we will keep searching and fighting for a competitive bike, this is our mentality. We have a lot of ups and downs in the story of Honda but the will to improve to be in the higher positions has always been there.
“It’s sad to stop this relationship but, on the other hand, it’s a way to keep going. Life goes on for everybody.
“We really hope Marc gets what he deserves, a good racing career. We, on the other hand, will try to make a bike to fight against him!”
Marquez went sixth fastest in Friday practice at the Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika, Aleix Espargaro topped the timesheets.
Puig questioned about replacement rumours
Miguel Oliveira and Maverick Vinales are the names most strongly linked with joining Repsol Honda to replace Marquez next year.
However, Aprilia (who own the 2024 contracts for both riders) have insisted they do not want to lose Oliveira or Vinales.
Puig said about the process to replace Marquez: “People think we have been contacting. We have contacted no-one.
“Until Tuesday night when I received a phone call from Marc, and we were talking, we didn’t move. We had two riders. It was critical, but we had Joan and Marc.
“From the moment he announced that he would chase, then we started to think.
“Today, here, we didn’t really sit down to decide. It’s not so easy, it’s difficult timing. We will see how we can sort this out.”
Puig was specifically asked if Honda had contacted Oliveira, and he replied: “We never put on the table any name, until now. We have to do it, of course, because we have no rider.
“But this is something you’re saying, it’s not that we’re saying. For now, I cannot give an update, just because I do not have it.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
