MotoGP legend hails Marc Marquez’s ‘courage’ to ‘refuse a lot of money’

MotoGP legend Giacomo Agostini has praised Marc Marquez’s “courage” to leave Honda at the end of 2023 and ‘refuse a lot of money’ to pursue a ride with Ducati.

The eight-time grand prix world champion elected to quit his factory Honda deal a year early at the end of 2023 in order to join the Gresini Ducati squad in a bid to rejuvenate his career.

Marc Marquez would win three grands prix in 2024 on a year-old Ducati, though prior to this had already muscled eventual champion Jorge Martin out of the marque to grab a factory team seat for this year.

After 13 rounds, Marquez has won nine grands prix, 12 sprints and is 142 points clear in the lead of the championship as he edges closer to a seventh premier class title.

Giacomi Agostini lavishes praise on Marc Marquez

Eight-time MotoGP champion Giacomo Agostini, whom Marquez has now surpassed in the all-time premier class wins list, praised his “courage” for leaving Honda to try to fight for wins again.

“He is fantastic,” he told the official MotoGP website.

“He’s a very talented, and I think today he is happy because he has a good bike and he can show his talent.

“It’s good. It’s fantastic - the two Marquez’s, because the young one is still very, very fast.

“His talent. We see before when he raced with Honda he won a lot, and after he had some problems [with injury] in his shoulder.

“But today he had the courage to change from Honda to Ducati and he refused a lot of money, I think, after many years with Honda.

“But he wanted to win. Once he said to me if I finished races fifth, sixth or seventh I don’t want to race.

“I want to try to win and today he has a bike that has the possibility to win, and he has the ability to show his 100%.”

Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Marquez is on a streak of six consecutive 37-point weekends.

It represents his longest winning run since the 2014 season, when he scored 10 grands prix victories in a row to start the campaign.