The prospect of Marc Marquez heading to Gresini Ducati next year – and the speculation surrounding it – has elicited a positive public reaction from MotoGP’s two most recent champions Pecco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo, albeit for very different reasons.
Marquez-to-Gresini for 2024, which would entail him getting out of his current Honda contract a year early, gathered a lot of steam as an idea in the MotoGP paddock during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Misano so far.
This has been helped, too, by Marquez himself showing very little interest in extinguishing the story.
That was particularly evident in him tweeting están pasando cosas – ‘things are happening’ – on Thursday, and the playful way he has explained it subsequently.
“Every day happens ‘cosas’. Estan pasando cosas, yes, but every day happens something,” he said today.
“Today happened that I go into Q2. Yesterday I was cycling and was a good day. So, yeah.”
Quartararo’s entertained
Yamaha’s Quartararo, who much like Marquez has endured a severe results dip this season as the lead rider of a struggling Japanese manufacturer, said he “can understand” why Marquez may want to switch to Gresini.
“But I will not really go more into it,” Quartararo said, before adding: “It would be funny to see.”
“I don’t know [if it will happen],” Quartararo said when prodded further. “I’m not in Marc’s head. He’ll be the one to decide.”
But when asked whether he would be happy to see it and whether he was enjoying following the story (as his reposting of Marquez’s cryptic social media suggested), Quartararo twice answered in the affirmative, his second answer being “yes, a lot.”
Bagnaia welcomes the challenge
While Ducati higher-ups have been very reserved over the prospect of having Marquez ride one of its Desmosedicis, its reigning champion Bagnaia all but issued a ‘welcome aboard’ of sorts.
And though it isn’t necessarily something to read into, his answer was a lot more eloquent than the quip he’d answered with when asked about the idea of Marquez as a candidate for the vacant Pramac Ducati ride the week prior.
From four wheels to two…#MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia was asked whether having Marc Marquez on a Ducati – now that the Pramac ride is open – would be good for the sport.
And this was his response: pic.twitter.com/q9eEvtwBck
— The Race (@wearetherace) August 31, 2023
“I’m happy for that,” said Bagnaia of the Marquez-to-Gresini buzz.
“Because we can have a good fight. For sure Marc, if he arrives in Ducati, will be absolutely super-fast, from the start.
“To have a rival like him is always great.”
Zarco eyes a Repsol seat
A Marquez defection to Gresini would create an empty factory Honda spot for which there would be a logical frontrunning candidate: Johann Zarco, already signed on a works contract for 2024-25, albeit as it stands to replace Alex Rins at Lucio Cecchinello’s satellite LCR team.
But Zarco reportedly acknowledged the possibility of filling a Marquez-shaped gap in the factory Honda team, in comments to French media as relayed by Motorsport.com France.
“We’ll see. In the moment it is surprising – but the more you talk [about Marquez joining Gresini], the more you think it’s possible.”
“It could perhaps turn in my favour,” he added, “which isn’t bad.”
Brother keeping it vague
At Gresini, Marquez would become team-mates again with his brother Alex. They had suited up in Repsol colours together back in 2020, but only got to start one race as team-mates before the elder Marquez’s career-altering injury.
“I hear everything, I hear what’s going on outside,” the younger Marquez told Spanish broadcaster DAZN on Thursday in reference to the speculation.
“A mechanic comes in and says ‘look what I’ve seen’. People shoot a three-pointer, and if they hit it, they point it out. If they don’t hit it, everyone is quiet.”
“You have to be patient. I’m also asking the team to see where things are going – but it’s all very quiet, very calm, and that scares me!” he added, concluding with a cryptic joke.
