Marc Marquez tipped for big-money 2025 deal: “He’s open to talking to everyone”

The eight-time world champion will move from Repsol Honda to Gresini Ducati for 2024 on a one-year deal which is far less lucrative, but his earning power could skyrocket if his on-track success returns.

“By mid-way, he’s open to talking to everyone,” ex-racer Simon Crafar said during the Indonesian MotoGP, a double-DNF weekend for Marquez, about the star rider’s 2024. 

“Because all of the contracts come up at the end of next year.

“So by mid-way everyone is talking seriously.

“If Honda come up with something, he can go back with everything he’s learned from Ducati.

“It’s possible. He’s free to talk to all of the manufacturers. And all of them have places available.

“He’s put himself in a very powerful position for the following year.”

The only rider contracted beyond the end of 2024 is Brad Binder, meaning the 2025 MotoGP season could see a flurry of rider moves.

It also means every manufacturer, and every team, is guaranteed to have a space that they could offer Marquez, should he overcome his advancing age and his history of injuries to return to winning ways.

“Media speculation is that he did have the opportunity to move to Pramac on a two-year deal but refused that, and opted to go for a one-year option at Gresini instead, for that exact reason. To leave himself available,” Dorna’s Jack Appleyard replied in conversation with Crafar.

Crafar said: “If Marc’s plan comes off, meaning he’s dominating, leading the championship, winning races by mid-next year when deals are done, his value is so high. 

“You can know how good Marc is because everybody in the paddock does. But when a rider is proving it? That makes the numbers on the offer change.”

Ducati riders will be “worried”

Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have already considered that Marquez, riding a Ducati, will return to fight for the 2024 title.

“I believe they’ll say it’s great because they can look at Marc’s data,” Crafar said about the reaction of Ducati riders. 

“But deep down, everyone will be worried because Marc is so determined to win.

“He is going to put fear into everyone else on the grid, now that they know he’s on a Ducati.

“Having Marc on such a competitive machine - even though it’s year-old spec, which is still very good - he will stir the championship up.

“Everyone talks about how talented Marc is. I think there are quite a few riders with the same talent, ability. He just  wants it more. He wants it so bad that he’s willing to risk so much repeatedly, even after everything he’s been through.

“He wants to do this because he wants to win again, and I really think he can.

“I believe he can fight for the championship at least, maybe even dominate! He’s that good, he wants it so bad.”

Appleyard replied to Crafar: “The big takeaway from this is his desire. He’s walking away from a multi-million pound contract with Honda to earn obviously much less money at Ducati. But he gives himself a better chance at victory.”

Crafar said: “He’s been through a lot, those injuries. He did everything to be ready for this year. The timing of his operation. His bike wasn’t ready, he was. 

“It felt like he did everything possible to be ready for next year - it was hard, we saw him go through horrible things in Germany, I felt like he’d been beaten into submission. 

“He gave Honda the opportunity at the Misano test to give him hope that he could win the championship next year and it didn’t come. Then in Japan, the things that [Honda brought], he said they weren’t what he asked for, and he’s not using them in the race. The final nails in the coffin.

“He’s riding the Gresini bike next year, that is one year on a satellite bike, not taking the same type of money that he would from a huge manufacturer. He can prove what he can do next year. Figuring out how  to win, and how to win regularly.

“It might take half-a-dozen races to understand the bike but I doubt it!”