Marc Marquez will have to pick between ‘very high’ Honda offer or ‘fairly low’ at Ducati – Jorge Lorenzo

ByEurosport

Published 03/05/2023 at 09:04 GMT

The future of Marc Marquez is still very much up in the air with speculation persisting that the six-time world champion might end up looking somewhere else when his contract at Honda expires. However, his former team-mate Jorge Lorenzo believes that the decision of Marquez will end up coming down to money and whether he wants more or less depending on the quicker bike.

IWD special – 'Any sport should be equal' – FHO Racing boss on proving women belong in motorsport

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will have to pick between a “very high” contract at Honda or a “fairly low” one at Ducati, according to his former team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Marquez, 30, has been with Honda since 2013 and has a contract until 2024, but any hopes of a seventh world title seem distant at the moment.

Not only has the Spaniard struggled with injuries but Honda have had a hard time being able to match the pace being set by the Ducati bikes, with Marquez finishing 13th in the standings in the 2022 season.

Grand Prix Qatar

‘Like a robot’ – Lorenzo labels ‘unbeatable’ Bagnaia as title favourite after new deal

05/03/2024 at 17:44

It has led to speculation that Marquez and his long association with Honda may come to an end as he goes in pursuit of another title.

However Lorenzo, his former team-mate at Honda, believes that the key factor in Marquez’s decision will end up being money.

Marquez signed a lucrative extension with Honda in February 2020, but Lorenzo believes that now the situation has changed, and because Ducati do not need Marquez to win the title, they will low-ball him.

“When you're the 2019 world champion and they offer you four years for €20m a year with a bike with which you know you can win other World Championships on, it's hard to say no,” Lorenzo explained to .

“Especially if the other teams offer you five times less.

“I think he made the right choice at the time, but now he'll have to understand what suits him best: accept an offer from Honda, which will certainly be very high, or focus on a fairly low offer with Ducati.