Marc Marquez reveals he talked to Honda about a 2027 MotoGP return

Marc Marquez admits he had “an informal conversation” with Honda about returning to the Japanese marque for the 2027 MotoGP season.

The seven-time world champion finally announced his two-year extension with Ducati last week, following months of delays owing to the standoff between the manufacturers and MotoGP over a new contract.

The deal between Marc Marquez and Ducati was reported to have been signed as early as before pre-season testing began, though there were suggestions that both parties were split on term length.

Marquez joined Ducati for the 2024 season with the Gresini squad, before stepping up to the factory team the following year and won the world championship.

In an interview with Spain’s DAZN, Marquez revealed that he did have a conversation with Honda about a potential return in 2027, but insisted to HRC that his priority was a new Ducati deal.

“There was an informal conversation, but I knew for sure that I wanted to hear from Ducati first,” he told DAZN.

“If I was happy, I wasn’t going to get caught up in the back-and-forth of going here or there.

“And with Ducati, we sat down and hit it off right away.”

Marquez made his MotoGP debut with Honda in 2013 and won six of his seven world titles with the Japanese brand.

Honda stood by Marquez through his injury problems in 2020, honouring his contract after he’d signed a four-year deal in the off-season.

But as his physical condition got better, the Honda’s form grew worse, and Marquez made the difficult decision to leave HRC with a year left on his contract at the end of 2023.

He joined Gresini, forgoing a salary, to ride a year-old Ducati to try to regain his form.

On the prospect of moving back to Honda, Marquez added: “Returning to Honda would have been very romantic, and obviously I really wanted to.

“But I already take enough risks on the track.

“There are times when you have to weigh things with your head, not your heart, like with the last decision I made [to leave Honda].

“And it worked out well for me.”