Casey Stoner “main reason I left” because Honda only listened to Marc Marquez

Casey Stoner claims the “main reason” he left Honda was because they were only listening to Marc Marquez’s developmental feedback.

Stoner and Marquez were poised to become MotoGP teammates at Repsol Honda in 2013 until the Australian’s shock retirement, aged only 27.

Instead, Marquez was promoted into the premier class alongside Dani Pedrosa as Moto2 champion but his words were already being prioritised by the manufacturer, Stoner insists.

Asked about Honda listening more to Marquez’s advice than Pedrosa’s or Jorge Martin’s, Stoner told Gazzetta: "This is the main reason why I myself left Honda.

“We had reached a point where Marc's team was starting to move away from my indications.

“I tried to warn them, telling them that if they continued to only follow the developments of Marc, he would have been the only one capable of riding that bike, and accidents would have been frequent.

“And I was right, as the 2015 results show, but they didn't want to listen to me and instead decided to move me away."

Marquez, of course, won the MotoGP championship in his rookie year.

He won the title in six of his first seven seasons in the premier class.

But Honda have fallen into a period of woe, and their below-par bike last season has caused Marquez to quit and go to Gresini Ducati.

"I didn't expect it, but I understand that he's gone,” Stoner said.

“With all these extra components on the bike it's very difficult to understand whether it was him or Honda who made the mistake.

“Going to Ducati means understanding for yourself what he's been competing against in these last few years and to see if he can make a difference there too.

“It wasn't a bad choice to leave, and I think he left the door open to come back to them if things were to change at Honda."

Marquez was eventually replaced at Repsol Honda by Luca Marini, but only after a long search where Miguel Oliveira, Maverick Vinales and talents from Moto2 were briefly considered.

Honda also lost Alex Rins after just one season with their LCR satellite team, during which he won at the Circuit of the Americas then broke his leg.

Johann Zarco has replaced Rins at LCR.

​"Honda has built such a bad reputation over the years, everyone ends up wanting to leave,” Stoner said.

“They managed to win comfortably in Austin, so why did they do so poorly until the end of the year?

“It's strange that they are so lacking despite being able to win.

“Alex Rins' injury and Marquez's difficulties didn't help."