Marc Márquez’s departure from Honda marks the beginning of a promising future for both parties

The talked-about transfer of the decade has officially seen the light of day! Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez has ended his 11-year partnership with Respol Honda. With his help, the 30-year-old Spaniard has now achieved the status of one of the most successful motorcycle riders ever. But their time together has come to an end. But there is no need to despair, both Márquez and Honda will emerge victorious from this break-up sooner or later.

11 seasons, 163 grand prix appearances, 101 podiums, 64 first place starts, 59 fastest laps and the same number of wins. Until recently, we couldn’t have imagined the now 30-year-old Marc Márquez putting on a jumpsuit that had nothing to do with the Repsol Honda brand. That at any point in his career as a MotoGP rider he would leave the team that, against all odds, made him one of the most successful riders in the history of the sport.

Nothing lasts forever

No matter how much you respect or hate him, Márquez and Repsol Honda have shaped a part of MotoGP history. Just as we remember the eras of Agostini, American Missiles, Doohan and Rossi, the second decade of the new millennium will be undeniably associated with the Marc Márquez era.

But like any era of a given rider, Márquez’s era had to end at some point. The Jerez race in 2020 will go down in the sporting history books as the moment of the definitive end of the limelight for the already eight-time world champion. It’s just a pity that, as in the case of Rainey or Doohan, and indeed Rossi, it had to end in devastating injury once again…

For Honda, Márquez above all else

All the more phenomenal was Márquez’s return the year before last to a wave of almost instantly remarkable results, including three wins. Bouhžel knew even then that this was by no means a reboot of the Márquez era, but a consolidation of the Spaniard’s generational talent.

A talent that Honda, from Márquez’s first year in MotoGP, wanted to exploit to the maximum despite any possible sacrifices. What happened was that as time went on, Honda’s factory motorcycle began to be competitively managed by Márquez and Márquez alone. His case was helped by injuries to former teammates Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo.

However, experts couldn’t help but notice before the 2020 season that things were gradually going downhill with Honda. The factory not only focused too much on Márquez, but also did not respond sufficiently to the technical development of the machines, especially in the field of aerodynamics. An area that a certain Ducati started to explore back in 2015.

After Márquez’s decisive crash and combined with the coronavirus pandemic and the excesses of Japanese bureaucracy, Honda’s bad attitudes were clearly evident. The stable, however, chose not to correct them, believing that Márquez would soon return to form and start dominating again. Maybe he is already there.

But in that time, Honda has fallen to the tail of the field in terms of performance and results. With no hope of any significant improvement. And since the new technical regulations won’t arrive until 2027, we can’t expect Honda to return to the absolute top until then.

Towards its own new beginnings

It must have been clear to Márquez that he couldn’t wait any longer. European brands, for all sorts of reasons, are falling forward and Japanese ones are falling further and further behind. And Márquez is a born predator for victory. He’d rather temporarily ride a year-old Ducati with a much better chance of success than a factory machine whose concept has outlived its usefulness and needs a complete overhaul as soon as possible.

At the same time, Honda perhaps realised that it could no longer pay its star rider astronomical sums in exchange for an appalling machine. It would rather save money on riders that are not and will not be subjected to similar external pressures. It will then put the remaining money from Márquez’s salary into more extensive development.

Although one of the strongest pairings in championship history is parting ways, it is a positive step forward for both parties. Márquez will begin a new chapter of his career towards more championships on now-competitive machines. And Honda will finally be free of the influence of the Marc Márquez name, beginning a new journey back to the top.

Source: MotoGP