Alex Márquez Drops A Bomb – “Marc Márquez Will Retire IF…”
Categories: MotoGP
Published: 16th October 2023
Alex Marquez hints at a possible Marc Marquez retirement, should the Repsol Honda rider not find joy riding the Ducati in 2024.
Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez is set to leave Honda at the conclusion of this season, opting for a surprising move to Gresini Racing, the satellite Ducati squad, for the upcoming year.
Marquez’s decision to switch to a year-old Ducati and sever ties with the factory Honda team a season early coincides with a challenging phase for the Japanese manufacturer.
He has inked a one-year deal with Gresini, stating at the Indonesian Grand Prix that he made this choice to rediscover his passion for MotoGP racing.
In an interview with British broadcaster TNT Sport, his brother Alex Marquez, who missed the Indonesian GP due to a rib injury, revealed that Marc might contemplate retirement by the end of 2024 if he doesn’t find joy in racing again.
However, Alex believes that Marc’s doubts will dissipate after his initial Ducati test in Valencia in November.
“It’s what he said, the sense to have one year is to see if again if he enjoys this world,” Alex Marquez stated.
“He is real to me, and he says ‘ok, if I don’t enjoy I will retire’. It’s like this.”
“It’s a possibility that now is on. So, he wants to see if he can enjoy again, if he can be fast after his injury.”
“I don’t have any doubts but he has his doubts. He has all the reasons to have them because I had them on the Honda bike last year.”
“But I’m sure in Valencia after one day already he will enjoy it a lot and these things [doubts] he has in his head will disappear really fast.”
Marc Marquez’s recent Indonesian GP was a tough outing, marked by crashes in both races at the Mandalika track.
These incidents brought his total number of falls for the season to 23, underscoring his decision to part ways with the RV213V in 2024.
In his post-race interview with DAZN, Marquez expressed his regret, stating, “It’s not taking too long [to get to the end of the season].”
“I want to apologize to the team, this weekend we have gone from more to less; normally it was the other way around.”
“We seemed to be in a better position after the races in India, but sometimes, being too eager to compete with the leading riders can lead to losing focus.”
“Now it’s time to take a little step back. In the last races, from India, it seemed that we were further ahead.”
“It’s time to return to the mentality of Silverstone and Montmelo, take a little step back, and finish races”
Reflecting on his crash during the Grand Prix, Marquez revealed, “I was very calm. After the sprint I was very calm, I have not been stressed.”
“But it was one of those falls that you do not see coming. Without warning I fell. It is worse to fall trying not to fall than to push.”
