Revealed: Staggering nine-figure Honda deal that Marc Marquez rejected

The money on offer from Honda to keep Marc Marquez has been revealed - and it’s jaw-dropping.

Marquez was the highest-paid MotoGP rider after signing a Honda contract in 2022.

But after his machinery became uncompetitive, causing crashes and injuries, Marquez opted to break the contract early to join Gresini Ducati.

Honda made a last-ditch attempt to keep Marquez by putting incredible money on the table, it has been reported.

Marquez was offered a new four-year contract totalling €100m, meaning he could have pocketed €25m per season until the end of 2027, according to AS.

Marquez turned it down in favour of a move to Gresini, which has since led to the factory Ducati seat.

Gigi Dall'Igna: "Sometimes you even give up money"

"Yes, I knew, but for someone who wants to win, money shouldn't be a problem,” Ducati’s Gigi Dall’Igna told the Spanish newspaper who presented the figures to him.

“If you want to win, you need to give up so many things that sometimes you even give up money."

Dall’Igna did concede about the purported €100m Honda deal: "That's a lot of money..."

To put the colossal numbers in context, Marquez’s refusal of Honda’s offer means that Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo is now MotoGP’s highest-paid rider.

Quartararo’s latest Yamaha deal is worth a reported €12m per season - less than half of what Marquez could have earned at Honda.

But Marquez prioritised sporting history above his bank balance.

This year, he has a great chance to win a ninth world championship which would tie the tally set by Valentino Rossi.

Arguably for the first time in his career, Marquez is riding the best machinery on the MotoGP grid.

It was all made possible because he rejected life-changing money from Honda to instead step onto a Ducati.