The eight-time World Champion signed an unprecedented four-year deal
with HRC but that didn’t stop the Italian factory enquiring
Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez has told Italian MotoGP™ broadcaster Sky Sports Italia that Ducati made an approach to try and sign the eight-time World Champion before he signed his unprecedented four-year deal with HRC.
It comes following Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales admitting he was also in communication with the Italian factory prior to the Spaniard renewing his deal with Yamaha recently. The Bologna brand, meanwhile, is yet to announce who will be aboard both factory Desmosedici machines in 2021 and beyond.
“The first idea was from Honda,” said the 27-year-old Spaniard when explaining how the longest contract in MotoGP™ history came about. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it yet. We started talking and we saw that it was a winning project for everyone. No team had more than Honda in the sports project, they believed in me. It came out as a 4-year project, it is the first time in history. At the end of the contract, we will see if we were right. When I asked Puig about my partner, he told me to think about winning.”
During the interview, the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion responds to the question on fans’ lips around the world: will we ever get the chance to see him competing with another manufacturer?
“I am 27-years-old, I have a contract for another four years. You never know. I listened to the people who say that I have to win with another bike but I made the decision with my heart. They gave me the opportunity to switch from Moto2 and to win. I listened to Ducati, who asked for information, but the Honda project was the best from a sporting point of view. At the moment, I say no but in the future, you never know.”
