Marc Marquez confirms he held “informal talks” with Honda before committing to Ducati

Marquez will remain at Ducati until 2028, but he did have "informal talks" with his former employer Honda before committing to a new deal with Borgo Panigale

Just days after confirming a new two-year MotoGP deal with Ducati, Marc Marquez has revealed that he held what he described as an "informal conversation" with Honda representatives, who explored the possibility of bringing him back to the Japanese manufacturer.

As first reported by El Periodico, the meeting took place on the Friday afternoon of last year's Valencia Grand Prix, the final round of the 2025 season. It was held inside one of Honda Racing Corporation's hospitality units while Marquez was sidelined through injury, having wrapped up his seventh MotoGP world title in Japan before getting hurt at the following round in Indonesia.

Speaking to DAZN during the Dutch GP at Assen, the Ducati rider insisted the meeting never developed beyond a cordial exchange and that no formal offer or contractual discussions ever took place.

"There was an informal conversation, but I was always clear that I wanted to hear Ducati first," said the reigning world champion. "If I was happy there, I wasn't going to start playing the game of talking to one manufacturer or another. We sat down with Ducati and reached an agreement straight away."

Marquez has never hidden the emotional bond he still feels with Honda, the manufacturer that gave him his MotoGP debut and with which he rewrote much of the championship's record books, winning six of his seven premier-class titles.

The Spaniard left Honda at the end of 2023 after agreeing to terminate his contract a year early, walking away from a salary worth around €20 million in order to join Gresini Racing on a Ducati without pay. It was a decision driven by logic rather than emotion, as his attachment to Honda remained strong after more than a decade with the factory.

"Going back to Honda would have been a very romantic move, and of course it was something I wanted," Marquez admitted. "But I already take enough risks on track. Sometimes you have to make decisions with your head rather than your heart, just as I did when I decided to leave Honda. In the end, it turned out to be the right choice."

Marc Marquez in 2018, alongside his friend and technical chief Santi Hernandez when he raced with Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Once Honda realised that re-signing one of the most successful riders in its history was no longer a realistic possibility, the company turned its attention to Fabio Quartararo, convincing the Frenchman earlier this year to spearhead its new project built around the 850cc regulations that will come into force in 2027.

MotoGP's sweeping technical rule changes for 2027 are expected to reset the competitive order, potentially opening the door for manufacturers to close the gap to the current frontrunners. Even so, Marquez believes Ducati and Aprilia will remain the benchmark.

"I think Ducati will still be the reference, together with Aprilia," said the rider from Cervera.

He also joked that neither he nor several of the championship's leading riders were able to extract maximum value from negotiating new contracts ahead of such a major regulatory overhaul.

"The top riders haven't really been able to take advantage of the situation," he smiled. "With a completely new set of regulations, manufacturers can't guarantee they'll have the best bike. What the teams do know is whether they have a good rider."