Jorge Lorenzo: Marc Marquez to Gresini? ‘I think it’s done’

Marc Marquez is keeping his cards close to his chest, but former MotoGP title rival and Repsol Honda team-mate Jorge Lorenzo thinks a Gresini Ducati move is ‘done’.

Peter McLaren

28 Sep 2023

Now working for DAZN, Lorenzo, like the rest of the MotoGP media, has been unable to get a straight answer from Marquez over the growing rumours that he will walk out of his big-money Honda deal a year early to join brother Alex at Gresini in 2024.

This weekend’s Japanese MotoGP, at the Honda-owned Motegi circuit, is viewed as a key moment in negotiations over the #93’s future. But triple world champion Lorenzo now sees the shock move as ‘done’, meaning any further Marquez-HRC talks would be on the terms of separation.

“Yeah, this idea [of Marquez leaving Honda to join Gresini Ducati] is getting bigger and bigger in my head,” Lorenzo told the MotoGP Guru show.

“I think it’s done.

“I think Marc doesn’t care so much about the money. He just cares to be competitive again in 2024 and then be completely open to choose from many competitive options for 2025.”

While Gresini, which uses year-old Ducati machinery, has the only remaining MotoGP seat free for next season, all factory teams have at least one vacancy for 2025.

Last weekend in India, Ducati’s sporting director Paolo Ciabatti admitted: “It looks like [Gresini] have this opportunity and they are waiting for Marquez’s decision.”

It has now been almost 700 days since Marquez's 59th and most recent MotoGP win, at Misano in 2021.