David Emmet: A peek into the soul of Marc Marquez

Before I start, I feel compelled to warn you that you will not believe much of what follows. You will either reject it as hyperbole, or regard it as an unfair attack on a rider, and understating his talent. That, at least, is the lesson I have learned in writing about Marc Marquez over the years, and before that, about Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi.


Because people have already made up their minds what they think about Marc Marquez, mostly based on that one grand prix in Sepang in 2015. Depending on your view of that incident, you are likely to believe either that Marc Marquez is washed up, with age and the aftereffects of the arm he broke at Jerez in 2020 making him a mere shadow of his former glory. Or he is yet to reach the peak of his talent, the Honda RC213V having turned into an albatross around his neck during his absence through injury.


Which is a shame. Because the press conference he gave at the Mandalika International Circuit on Thursday was one of the most interesting and informative we have seen in years. If you watch it carefully, and read what he has said, you can learn a lot about the motivation of the greatest of elite athletes, about what drives them and the choices they make, about how success comes about, about how teams work, and how Honda can fix itself and move forward.


Listen and learn


Marquez presented a lot of information, especially if you paid close attention. This makes a change: for a long time, the Repsol Honda rider has specialized in saying something descriptive without conveying any actual meaning. There is a level of fame in MotoGP – so far, achieved only by Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez – at which riders go beyond their media training to learn to say nothing. Rossi would manage to give you a headline and a great quip, leave the room laughing, but when you read back what he said, it turned out to be just platitudes. Marquez has also mastered much of this, though his English has never been a fluent as Rossi's, and so the throwaway jokes were largely missing.


Let's first get to why Marc Marquez signing for Gresini Ducati is such a big deal. This is the most talented rider I have ever seen on a racing motorcycle, choosing to leave Repsol Honda, the most successful factory MotoGP team in history, to join a small private team.


He is leaving a salary of between €15-20 million to take a nominal wage of between €300,000-€500,000, if he is taking a salary at all. He is getting out of a four-year contract with Honda, and an option to extend almost indefinitely, for a one-year deal with Gresini.


He is leaving a factory bike, designed with his input, and with the ability to make direct requests for new and modified parts, for a machine from the previous year, with no updates. He is leaving a team with vast resources and an army of engineers for a small team, albeit with the strong factory support that all Ducati teams receive.


BFD


When Valentino Rossi left Yamaha to join Ducati, that was a big deal. When Jorge Lorenzo left Yamaha to join Ducati, that was a big deal. When Lorenzo announced almost out of the blue that he would be retiring at the end of 2019, that was a huge deal. When Valentino Rossi announced at the end of 2003 that he would be joining the struggling Yamaha for 2004, that was a massive deal. But this is bigger.


We had been wondering why it had taken so long for Gresini to put out a press release announcing the deal when it was obvious to just about everyone both inside and outside the paddock that the deal was on. It turns out that it was because Marquez only put pen to paper on the deal on Thursday morning.


Marquez had only made the decision on the Tuesday after the Motegi round of MotoGP. He had called his manager, his family, and his assistant to discuss the decision, before phoning Honda on the Wednesday. HRC issued a press release within a few hours of that phone call. Perhaps a sign they had been anticipating it.


"It has been a super difficult decision, the toughest decision of my career," Marquez said. "Because to break 11 years of relationship with Honda, a very successful relationship." What pained Marquez most was leaving behind the bonds he has built up over the years, especially with the team he has worked with since his Moto2 days. "Last week was hard from the emotional side, because all my staff, all my friends, all my family are there inside that box, all the sponsors."





Crew chief Santi Hernandez, mechanics Carlos Liñán, Jordi Castellà, and Javier Ortiz, and communications chief Hector Martín all came to the Repsol Honda squad from the Monlau Moto2 team. It was to this group that he had turned to discuss his decision, he said. "One of the biggest doubt was all my team. But it's true that in the end I had a very deep talk with all of them, and in the end and they are my friends, and they advise me in a friendly way, not a team way. So this was a talk that helps me a lot to take the decision."


He will be leaving Hernandez behind, and bringing just one, maybe two mechanics with him to Gresini. "We are still in discussions, because just this morning we signed the MoU

with Gresini," Marquez explained. "I'm trying to bring at least one mechanic, that I think will be not a problem," Marquez said. "But I can't bring the whole team for two reasons. One, I will not destroy the Repsol Honda team, because we are in October. And two I will not destroy the Gresini team, because they are a big family and they have their mechanics. So I must adapt to the situation, I take the decision so I have to adapt."


He had taken a long time to make the decision, going back and forth between staying and going. His 2023 season had gotten off to a disastrous start, with crash after crash and a series of injuries. In trying to keep up, he was overriding the Honda RC213V so much that he was crashing more often than not. "The first part of the season I was competitive, but not in a good way, I was taking a lot a lot a lot of risk," he said.





The nadir for Marquez came at the Sachsenring, where he crashed five times, eventually choosing not to race on Sunday after a massive highside in warm up. That forced him to change his approach in the second part of the season. "Now I'm taking risks, but not the same as the first part of the season," he said.


Through all the injuries and miserable time he was having on the Honda RC213V, he knew that was not the right time to be making a decision about his future. "When you are injured, when you are in a difficult moment, then you cannot take any decision. That's what I learned in the past. There you need to be patient."


There were talks with Honda at several races, including meetings with the highest figures inside HRC. Honda made changes, made presentations, and that sowed doubt in Marquez' mind. "race by race it was super difficult, because every weekend my mentality was changing a bit. A lot of doubts," he said.


At the same time, he had started talking to Gresini, asking about coming to ride for them. He knew that he couldn't ask them to wait if they found someone else to take the second seat. But he wanted to let them know he was interested, and would not sign for anyone else. "I said to them, I will not go forward with any contract. If you want to wait for me, wait for me. But I cannot promise anything. Because my decision was last Tuesday, after the Japan GP."


Breaking up is hard to do


It is remarkable that it took Marquez so long, when it was obvious to the rest of the world that he would be leaving. The flirtation with the media, posting a video on social media using the catchphrase of a Catalan journalist famous for reporting on player transfers for Barcelona FC.


"The decision was not clear," he said. "It looks like the last two months, I played with all of you, but honestly speaking, the situation was changing every week. Even in Misano when I did that video, in that moment I was nearly 90% in Honda. Even forgetting about the test, I was there. But then the situation changed. And it was super difficult."


In many ways, Marquez leaving Honda is like a marriage falling apart. To the people inside the marriage, it looks like there is still a chance to stick together, right up to the point that the divorce papers are filed. But to those outside looking in, it is obvious the marriage was over long before. At some point, one marriage partner will say or do something which there is no going back from. From that moment, their friends are just waiting for the inevitable.


For Marc Marquez, that moment was probably the Sachsenring. All the stuff that had gone before – the stupid crash in Portimão trying to stay with Miguel Oliveira at the front, skipping the Jererz test, the crash in Le Mans, seeing Alex Rins break himself in Mugello, seeing his teammate fracture a hand the same weekend – had built up inside him. But Germany was probably the moment something broke inside him. From then on, we were merely waiting for the penny to drop for Marquez, and for him to make a decision.





It is an utterly radical decision. He wants to "go out from my comfort zone," he told the press conference. "The easiest way was to stay in Honda, situation under control, bike under control, my team is there, big salary. So that was the easy solution. But then, if I want to take care about myself and my career, I need to find a new challenge. And a new challenge and the best place I think was Gresini team in 2024."


It could have been an even more radical decision. "Actually one year off was one of the possibilities," Marquez said. "Because racing without enjoying for me has no meaning. I already did many things in the past, but I want to fight in the present. It doesn't matter if you have one or eight championships, you have to fight for the present. And this was my target."


He also had other options, including a rumored two-year deal in the Factory Ducati team, replacing Enea Bastianini, according to one source with knowledge of the situation. But he didn't want a two-year deal.


"For me, the only option was a one-year contract," Marquez said. "Because when you are in very difficult times, you have some doubts even in yourself. And I always say if I'm not enjoying, for me it has no meaning to ride a bike. If you are not enjoying, why are you staying here?"


Facing his fears


That is quite the admission. This year, and probably the cumulative effect with last year as well, has sapped Marc Marquez' confidence. He always knew exactly what he was capable of, of just how far he could go, and what he needed from the bike to be able to pull the impossible out of the bag to win races. But when he tried that on this bike, it would spit him off, or the front would let go, or otherwise betray him. He couldn't do all those things he used to, pull the tricks he needed to to win. He was no longer sure whether it was the bike, or him.


Self-doubt is the darkest place a MotoGP rider (or any elite athlete) can find themselves. They are driven by an absolute belief that they are at least as good as anyone else on the grid, and always in with a chance of winning. Marc Marquez had the added evidence of eight world championships and 85 grand prix victories to back that belief up. For almost his entire career, whenever he lined up on the grid, he knew that there was a very good chance of finishing at least on the podium, and quite likely on the top step.


The last two years have chipped away at the foundations of that belief, and so he has to find himself again. And the best way of doing that is to get on a bike that is proven capable of victories, and in a team where he can operate without the pressure of being in a factory.


Back to basics


"I decide to do that move, to a family team," Marquez explained. "Because it's what I feel, to come back to that start, to that atmosphere of a small team, of a family team, and with a good bike, the bike that is now leading the championship."


What Marquez is looking for is the chance to enjoy riding again. "I'm looking always only to enjoy it, to smile again, and to have that motivation to come to the circuit," he said. "As you see, my commitment is always the same. When I'm in the race track, I attack. And the last two races, with all those things going on, it was one of my best races, because I have this facility to forget a bit things when I'm in the track. But I want to enjoy it and I want to have this extra motivation again to come in the circuits and to spend the time here."


Marc Marquez is leaving Repsol Honda to ride for Gresini Ducati to embark on a rebuilding exercise. He has to rebuild his confidence, regain his feeling within a small team, find that closeness. But also to ride without the responsibility of an entire factory on his shoulders. To concentrate solely on himself. And having his brother by his side can help.


They are a very close family, as anyone who has seen the documentaries made about Marquez can see. Unlike the other brothers in the championship, Alex and Marc Marquez share a motorhome, as well as sharing a home in Madrid (at least, until Alex finds a place of his own and moves out).





It is easy to believe that Alex will have fed Marc a lot of information, and influenced his decision. That was not entirely the case, however. "My brother can give some inputs of course, but not a lot," the Repsol Honda rider told the press conference. "Because in the end, it's my responsibility, it's not his responsibility. And in the end, what I evaluate a bit, of course we spoke more about the team, it's a very nice team, friendly team."


They hadn't spoken about the bike, Marquez said. That was something he had tried to figure out for himself. "What I tried to analyze was the performance of the bike on the race track, but then also the team, and especially the situation I have right now. Because inside my body, inside my head, I'm the only one to know what I need."


Will Marc Marquez be fast on a Ducati? Ask anyone in the paddock and they will tell you pretty much the same as Cal Crutchlow told journalists at Motegi. "I have always said if Marc goes on the Ducati the rest may as well not turn up so for this reason I don’t want him to go. Marc is still, I believe the best rider – best talent – I have had the privilege to ride with, because obviously I was riding the Honda at the same time and I knew what he was doing. I understood it, I just couldn’t do it. The talent was incredible."

Click to expand...

Fast rider on a fast bike


Aleix Espargaro echoed those sentiments. "It's not difficult," the Aprilia rider said. "You just need to see which riders are really fast with the Ducati: all of them. Marc is the best, so….it is going to be fun next year."


GasGas rider Pol Espargaro said very much the same thing. "I've been with Johann in the same team in KTM and I was faster than him there. And then he jumped on a Ducati and he's flying. Exactly the same with Alex Marquez. So I know their level and I know what they are doing now on a Ducati bike. I'm not saying that, being a Ducati, it's simple and easy and you are ‘boom’ there. But you know most of the time, of the eight Ducatis, eight Ducatis are in the Q2 normally."


Of course, it wasn't a given that he will succeed, Aleix Espargaro warned. "But you never know. I said also when Marc was winning that he could win for the next twenty years, but then look at the mess with the injury, with the improvement of the Italian brands and the history with the Japanese brands. Look at what can happen. The world changed completely in six months. Yes, for sure, he is one of, if not the, most talented riders ever so I cannot say much more. Take the best bike now, put him together with it and you’ll see."


Great artists steal


The most interesting thing of note from the existing Ducati riders was that pretty much unanimously, they said what they were looking forward to was seeing Marquez' data. "He will feel comfortable and he will not take too much time to be better and faster than the situation he is right now," Pecco Bagnaia said. "So I think it will be nice to share data with him, it will be interesting to see what he does."


Bagnaia also predicted that Marquez would be fastest at the Valencia test, for the simple reason that one of the things he will have to get his head around is how to do a fast lap on the Ducati. That will not be such a priority for the other Ducati riders, as they already know how to extract everything from the Desmosedici. "He will lead the test, because he will have for sure to try different things, to try the time attack with our bike, and will be leading. Because our bike adapts to all the riding styles, and it's a very predictable bike," Bagnaia said.


This may be a realistic assessment by Bagnaia – especially as Marquez will indeed be trying a time attack at Valencia – but it is also another hint that the Italian is well aware of how to put pressure on his rivals, as he has shown in the title battle with Jorge Martin. By predicting that Marquez will be fastest at the Valencia test now, it takes pressure of Bagnaia, and places it on Marquez. The Italian knows that if Marquez isn't fastest, someone will ask him why he failed to live up to Bagnaia's prediction.


What does Bagnaia expect from Marquez over the course of the 2024 season? "Next year it will be a very good bike, because our bike is very competitive, you can brake very hard as he does already with the Honda. The engine is fast. So I don't know if he will be fighting for the championship, but will be in the top five for sure."


Bagnaia's title rival Jorge Martin rated Marquez' chances slightly higher. "It's difficult to know," the Pramac Ducati rider told the press conference. "We have to wait for Valencia, and the first race in Qatar, but I think he will be battling for the championship for sure."





While a lot of attention was paid to what will happen with Marc Marquez, there was a general sense that the paddock was pleased for the Gresini squad as well. The team is respected and well-liked in the paddock, and people are generally impressed with how Nadia Padovani has picked up after her partner Fausto Gresini's death, and carried on his legacy. After what they did with Enea Bastianini, the team deserve all the success they have achieved and can achieve in the future.


"I am happy for Marc because life is short and you need to decide whatever you feel happy with," Aleix Espargaro said. "For sure it has not been an easy decision for him because to leave the biggest brands in the world and to come to what we can call one of the smallest teams in MotoGP is a tough decision but full credit to him. He made a bet. I am also happy for the Gresini team, I had been working with them for a long time and I love Fausto and Nadia and now they have the best rider in the world. It is going to be a fun story."


Spare cash


With Marc Marquez' future secure, attention is now turning to the future of Honda, and who will replace him. Marquez also made a point about his departure being better for HRC. "They need to work now in a correct way. I believe they need to work patiently, to put all the budget there, to improve the bike step by step. Because from one year to another, Honda is Honda, and they can do it, but it's not easy. And I think if they have time, it will be much easier. Manufacturers, brands have time, but athletes don't have a lot of time. If you lose one year, it's one year less you will have in your career."


The point about the budget is an interesting one. Losing Marc Marquez may be a massive blow to the Repsol Honda team, but it also frees up some €15 million or more (Marquez' salary, minus whatever they pay his replacement) for HRC to spend on development. Of course, they need the engineers to be able to spend it on, and engineering resources to turn their ideas into hardware riders can test. But having all that extra money can help speed that process along.


Auditions open


Who is going to replace Marquez in Repsol Honda? In reality, your guess is as good as mine. Johann Zarco made a public play for the seat, pointing out that he was the logical choice. But he also acknowledged that this would mightily displease LCR Honda owner Lucio Cecchinello, who has been using Zarco to tempt sponsors into backing the team. Zarco's profile is high enough that he can bring in sponsors, whereas if LCR signs Fabio Di Giannantonio, for example, that gets harder. Zarco is a proven podium rider, while Di Giannantonio is yet to score a podium despite being on a Ducati.


Then there are the wildcards. Miguel Oliveira was being coy, but also not denying he was interested. "I think this season we have seen a lot of unprecedented things," the RNF Aprilia rider said. "We've seen riders put at home with contracts. We've seen riders breaking contracts and go to another places. So anything is possible. It's true that it's a pleasure to be considered to another manufacturer, such as big as Honda, especially when there's a factory seat to offer. That’s it."


Maverick Viñales was equally vague about the chances of him heading to Repsol Honda to replace Marquez. "At this moment I didn't hear nothing, but it's always good to be open, to listen and to understand," the factory Aprilia rider said. "My commitment right now is 100% with Aprilia. We have six races to go and my target is to put a really good performance in the last part of the season."


Officially, the only people interested in the Repsol Honda seat are Johann Zarco and Fabio Di Giannantonio, freshly liberated from the Gresini Ducati squad to make way for Marc Marquez. But unofficially, and through the paddock grapevine, you hear a lot more riders showing an interest, including names you might not at first expect. Maverick Viñales and Miguel Oliveira aren't the only Aprilia riders sniffing round the Repsol team, it seems.





If it wasn't for the momentous news of Marc Marquez signing for Gresini Ducati, we would be talking about the intense title battle between Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia, and the first press conference given by Pedro Acosta after being officially announced as racing in MotoGP next year. And there'd be a side dish of Pol Espargaro, explaining how he felt about being pushed aside to make way for Acosta. ("For sure I want to stay in the Pierer Mobility Group and there are options to be a racer in 2025," Espargaro said, adding that he had made his displeasure plain to KTM over the allowing themselves to get into this position in the first place.)


But there is a title battle every year. There was one last year, and there will be one next year. And even though this year's title fight is the tightest it has ever been, it still pales into comparison to Marc Marquez' move to Gresini Ducati, and the press conference in which he laid bare so much of himself and his decision making.


There are still six grand prix to decided the 2023 title, and plenty of time to talk about Bagnaia vs Martin. It will make for a delicious appetizer for MotoGP fans as they look forward to 2024. "It's a big challenge also for us, because it's the only way we can be compared to Marc, to one of the greatest in history," Jorge Martin told the press conference. That is a mouthwatering prospect indeed.

Click to expand...