Marc Marquez makes major Jorge Lorenzo MotoGP revelation
New DAZN documentary about Ducati reveals intriguing detail
Marc Marquez has revealed in a new Ducati documentary that he urged Honda to sign Jorge Lorenzo to stop the Italian brand from beating it in MotoGP.
Three-time MotoGP world champion Lorenzo made a bombshell move to the factory Ducati squad at the end of 2016 having spent his career to that point at Yamaha.
At the time, Ducati was rebuilding its way back to the top and had only just started winning again in 2016 when Lorenzo joined for the following season.
Lorenzo only scored three podiums in his first season on the Ducati, as team-mate Andrea Dovizioso ultimately stepped up to fight Marquez for the championship.
In a new DAZN documentary entitled La vida en rojo about Ducati, Marquez - who was a three-time champion by 2017 - made this revelation: “Just when Lorenzo was already at Ducati, I said [to Honda]: ‘They have arrived’.
“I said the best strategy is that you take Lorenzo and put him here [at Honda]. If not, another rider with another brand will beat you because Lorenzo is Lorenzo, a five-time world champion.”
Lorenzo made another slow start to the 2018 season, failing to crack the top 10 until the fifth round of the campaign in France - by which point, Ducati had already decided to part ways with its big money signing for 2019.
But just weeks after making its decision to replace Lorenzo with Danilo Petrucci, the Spaniard won his first race with Ducati in Italy.
He backed this up at the following round in Barcelona, before adding a third victory in Austria.
Injury at the Aragon GP ultimately derailed his charge and Lorenzo only scored points once after his Austria win, when he was 12th at the Valencia finale.
Honda listened to Marquez, with the Japanese marque signing Lorenzo for the 2019 season.
But it proved to be an ill-fated move for Lorenzo, who struggled to adapt to the RC213V.
Two big crashes in the Barcelona test and in practice at Assen - the latter leaving him with a back injury - ultimately led him to the decision to call time on his MotoGP career at the end of 2019.
Lorenzo didn’t score a top 10 finish on the Honda before retiring, which he announced at the final round of 2019.
Midway through the year, Ducati did enquire about bringing Lorenzo back into its fold at Pramac for 2019, though this ultimately came to nothing.
Marquez joins the factory Ducati squad next year having switched to a Desmosedici for 2024 at Gresini after several difficult years on the Honda, with the six-time MotoGP world champion managing three grand prix victories.
