Scott Redding reveals why Marc Marquez received more MotoGP backing

Scott Redding says that having the right type of backing was the major difference between Marc Marquez and himself during their rise to MotoGP.

Redding is one of the few riders who could regularly challenge the now nine-time world champion as they came through the lower classes. 

However, their on-track competition was at odds with the amount of backing that each rider was receiving, as Marquez was supported very early on by two of the biggest companies ever associated with MotoGP, in Repsol and Red Bull. 

Redding never received this type of support, and as of 2026, he still believes that British riders should be supported more by domestic companies.

The former MotoGP and WorldSBK rider, who is now competing in the British Superbike Championship with the Hager PBM Racing Team, spoke about his time racing against Marquez in the 125cc and 250cc classes during an interview on the Scruff Bags podcast.

When asked whether being British played a role in not receiving the same level of opportunities, Redding said: “That was always a thing that was spoken about, and it plays a part. 

“But the biggest part is the money and funding that Marc Marquez got and Scott Redding didn’t.  

“I was riding [for] a third tier team (125cc class in 2008) winning a British Grand Prix, [while] Marc Marquez was riding a Repsol KTM at the time, which was the factory team.

“That was the start, [and] he was backed by Repsol, and when he went to Moto2, he had his own team and crew that all went to MotoGP with him. That was the difference, he had a lot of funding behind him.” 

Britain has not produced a premier class world champion since MotoGP was known as the 500cc grand prix class. In fact, it is Barry Sheene who remains the last Brit to win the title in 1977.

Compared to other nationalities, the UK has struggled to maintain a healthy presence in MotoGP, but it’s not just the premier class where that’s still an ongoing issue. 

The UK has no full-time rider in MotoGP at present, nor does it have a rider in Moto2 following Jake Dixon’s exit as part of his switch to WorldSBK for this season.

The only British presence on the grid comes in the form of Eddie O’Shea and Scott Ogden, with the former riding for Michael Laverty’s MLav Racing team, while Ogden rides for the CIP Green Power outfit. 

This once again raises the issue of British riders either not being supported enough financially, or not having the same grassroots system to succeed as other countries.

Redding believes that people use the British passport argument as more of an excuse, and that the deeper issue concerns riders not being supported enough by companies that could help fund their careers. 

“I don’t think the British passport is all of it. I think the passport is the name people give it as an excuse as to why we don’t do more for our riders.” said Redding. 

“Why don’t we have big British companies saying ‘we have one of the best British riders in the world, [who] has won a British Grand Prix, [and] the future is massive, so let’s go get him on that factory Red Bull bike.”