I am betting it will be quicker than 3 years !
2024 silly season!
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I'll take that bet! Look at the history of rider teams on Repsol bikes over the years. Always been one superstar-talented rider constantly on the podium (ones known largely for being able to ride around the deficiencies of the bike) and a secondary rider rarely making a serious dent in the championship. HRC is famous for trying to "create" a rider to "compliment" the bikes idiosyncrasies. The next Freddie Spencer, Mick D, Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez, may not be waiting in the wings. Everybody is holding their breath that Acosta might be it. If so, let's hope he ends up on one of the Italian bikes.
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I don't think you can blame MM. Like Stoner in 2007-2010, he has been riding around a deficient bike that ended the career of Pedrosa & Lorenzo, and Pol Espargaro only got 2 podiums on.
Don't forget, that the new 2022 RCV was a complete change in philisophy from previous RCV's, with the changes requested by Pol Espargaro to give the bike more rear grip, and it has been a disaster.
Normally I would agree, but not with the current state of the rules. As stated above, Honda's 'New' RCV (from 2022- onwards) has not gotten any better and if anything, has gotten worse. It sounds like there won't be any serious concessions on the way and the 2024 engine is still a big unknown. This isn't them coming back from a bad year like 2007 or 2015 where they made some errors with a particular concept like flywheel mass or Mass centralisation but still won races, this bike is slow and horrible to ride, akin to the early 2010's Ducati's.
Normally, a powerhouse like Honda would correct it very quickly, but with the cuirrent state of the rules they are very constrained. the COTA win hasn't helped.
hmmm, it doesn't seem the bike is a "complete disaster". It won a race in COTA and fight for podium in Indian and you can be sure will fight for top 5 in Motegi. Motegi, Indian and Austin all share the same track peculiarities (stop and go) and on this kind of tracks the RCV can do well. That's not a "complete" disaster to me. heheh. Also, I don't think the bike is the same after Misano tests, they surely found something even if it's a small something. I don't think Honda need a complete overhaul of their machine, they will proceed adjusting it step by step. I don't think Pol is to blame cause he inherited the base from whom? Marc...in 2 years he couldn't have cause any massive change on the base, if that was the case it would be enough for Honda to rollback to 2021 version to perform better.
Riders like Stoner and Marquez can hide the problems of the machine and this does not help the engineers in any means. They don't give the right data the engineers need to detect problems and fix them since they find a way to ride around and shadow the problems so the engineers can't do much of a miracle here. The RCV accumulated many small problems over the last 3 years and that's ended up in where they are now. They desperately need to get rid of MM and get another rider onboard the project that can point the problems and what's the direction to take. Could Zarco do it? I think he will help for sure, after so many time on the Ducati.
Also, MM isn't the same anymore. He's getting old and so his reflex, that begins to delay. And for pure instinctively rider like him, when you can't count on your reflex like before, even if it got slow by a very small amount, that can make a huge difference. From 25 to 30 years, 5 years in age can make a big difference for a super top level athlete like him. He's almost 31 years old now.
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Fighting for two podiums in two years isn't a disaster? I strongly disagree. I am not ready to say they found something at Misano after one race on a new track with a rarely used tire. Marc has stated after the test "nothing has changed." I believe him. This race was a one off good race based completely on rider skill. If they as you state found something at Misano than so did Yamaha. Mir and Marc each had one good day and one crash. That is not a good weekend and shows the bike is the same bag of .....
Marc is still the dominate rider on a terrible bike. This was the first weekend anyone on a honda was in the same ballpark as him. He is still constantly riding this bike well above its possibilities. Maybe he has lost something but on an equal bike to the other riders he would still walk away from the rest of the field by miles. He is still undeniably the best rider on the grid.
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As Mdub said, two podiums in 2 years? Marc was on the podium for 18 of 19 races in 2019. By his, and Honda's standards, it is a disaster. Everyone is quick to point out the COTA win which was conveniently at a track Rins loves and is only second to Marquez in successes there, and the fact that Bagnaia crashed out of the lead. Looking at Rin's results in 2023 it was 10th, 9th, 1st, then sidelined through injury most of the season because the Honda tried to kill him.
You are right, the RCV did well in India and will likely, by Marc's admission, do well in Japan due to the stop and go nature of the circuit. The 2011-2014 Ducati 'Did well' in wet conditions, but no one remembers those bikes as anything but complete disasters that no one wanted to ride.
Strongly disagree here. the 2021 bike is what Pol inherited from Marc. The 2022 bike was a complete redesign and very little carried over from the previous RCV. He asked for a bike that had more grip at the rear, especially under braking, like the KTM. This is why Honda lengthened their bike, and rotated the engine rearwards.
Indeed, if you discount the unusually (but welcomed) good weekend from Mir, the fact that Marc fell off and STILL beat 2 of the 3 other Hondas tells you all you need to know.
They had Pedrosa and Puig got rid of him, pretty much out of spite from what I could psee,, so Honda near responsibility for that, hard to think of anyone they can get for next season who will be a better bike developer than Dani as he has continued to demonstrate in retirement. I really don’t know how a Puig is still in his job.
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100% agree.
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When will Gresini declare who gets the seat?
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This is the most preposterous I have read, but will share anyway.
In a potentially groundbreaking move for the MotoGP world, Marc Marquez might cross the proverbial Rubicon, transitioning from Honda to Gresini Ducati in 2024. Although Marquez had previously indicated that decisions regarding his future would be settled between the Indian Grand Prix and the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, recent developments suggest a more extended timeline.
According to a well-informed Spanish media AS.com, an unprecedented contractual arrangement is being discussed. This unique plan, possibly the mysterious “Plan C” hinted at by the eight-time World Champion, involves Honda “loaning” Marquez to the satellite Ducati team, Gresini, for the final year of his contract, only to reclaim him in 2025. By then, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) would have undergone a comprehensive reorganization, incorporating European engineers and moving away from the traditional Japanese working methods that seem outdated in the current MotoGP landscape. The goal would be to develop a more competitive RC213V.
This “loan” concept, familiar in sports like football, would address the sensitive issue of prematurely breaking a contract that runs through the end of 2024 for Marquez. However, it also implies that Marquez would spend a season gaining insights into Ducati’s operations, potentially sharing these findings with Honda upon his return. While Ducati has maintained that any negotiations are solely between its satellite team and Marquez, the loan’s implications could change the narrative, prompting Ducati’s main team in Borgo Panigale to take a closer look.
This weekend, during the Japanese Grand Prix, Marquez is expected to meet with Honda’s top brass, where more light might be shed on these speculations.
In a potentially groundbreaking move for the MotoGP world, Marc Marquez might cross the proverbial Rubicon, transitioning from Honda to Gresini Ducati in 2024. Although Marquez had previously indicated that decisions regarding his future would be settled between the Indian Grand Prix and the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, recent developments suggest a more extended timeline.
According to a well-informed Spanish media AS.com, an unprecedented contractual arrangement is being discussed. This unique plan, possibly the mysterious “Plan C” hinted at by the eight-time World Champion, involves Honda “loaning” Marquez to the satellite Ducati team, Gresini, for the final year of his contract, only to reclaim him in 2025. By then, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) would have undergone a comprehensive reorganization, incorporating European engineers and moving away from the traditional Japanese working methods that seem outdated in the current MotoGP landscape. The goal would be to develop a more competitive RC213V.
This “loan” concept, familiar in sports like football, would address the sensitive issue of prematurely breaking a contract that runs through the end of 2024 for Marquez. However, it also implies that Marquez would spend a season gaining insights into Ducati’s operations, potentially sharing these findings with Honda upon his return. While Ducati has maintained that any negotiations are solely between its satellite team and Marquez, the loan’s implications could change the narrative, prompting Ducati’s main team in Borgo Panigale to take a closer look.
This weekend, during the Japanese Grand Prix, Marquez is expected to meet with Honda’s top brass, where more light might be shed on these speculations.
Yes, why would Ducati do it ?. They will likely win the title anyway. I guess MM equaling Rossi’s tally of titles on a Ducati might be something, as would one of his titles being on a Ducati if he surpassed Rossi. Perhaps Ducati wouldn’t be worried about him taking anything back to Honda, at this point in time it looks very much as though like Oddball in Kelly’s Heroes he only rides them, he doesn’t know what makes them work.Yea, that sounds like absolute bollocks
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Because it's not up to Ducati . Gresini has total control of their choice of riders. So from a Gresini point of view it is logical. Not only do they get a rider that can win the title but more money from his sponsors. With that said it still seems crazy to me that this could happen.
If it was a permanent thing, I suppose Ducati would welcome the thought with open arms. However, a one year stop gap deal is a clear spy operation and I'm sure Ducati will be able to stop it.
They certainly control what bikes Gresini get.
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I'm hearing that 2 things are holding up the potential Gresini move:
1. Marc wants a 1yr deal, Gresini want 2yrs. Though I I can't see them losing the opportunity to have him over this.
2. Finalising the agreement to depart Honda. Supposedly this is what meeting with HRC execs in Japan is about. From what has been said, if Marc sincerely says "I don't want to ride this bike anymore" then they will agree to an amicable parting of ways.
People (mainly the cesspit on motorsport.com) are up in arms about Marc moving, saying he should never be allowed back to Honda. Ironically, these same people celebrated Rossi going back to Yamaha with his tail between his legs after his Ducati adventure.
1. Marc wants a 1yr deal, Gresini want 2yrs. Though I I can't see them losing the opportunity to have him over this.
2. Finalising the agreement to depart Honda. Supposedly this is what meeting with HRC execs in Japan is about. From what has been said, if Marc sincerely says "I don't want to ride this bike anymore" then they will agree to an amicable parting of ways.
People (mainly the cesspit on motorsport.com) are up in arms about Marc moving, saying he should never be allowed back to Honda. Ironically, these same people celebrated Rossi going back to Yamaha with his tail between his legs after his Ducati adventure.
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Yea the idea sounds stupid but Gresini can do whatever Gresini wants. They buy the bikes from Ducati. Ducati has zero control over what Gresini does unlike Pramac.
Within the scope over their contract. If it states a year old bike they cannot breach that agreement. Gresini signing Marc could be means to a different end. They could most likely go to any manufacturer they wanted with him on the roster and the added sponsor money.
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Agreed, but they have a current contract that was agreed in late 2021 to supply year old bikes. They have already refused giving VR46 a 2024 bike for next yr as it is too late to build another, so Gresini won't get anything worse, or better than their agreed contract I assume (i.e. 2023 bikes)
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