Mark Marquez has revealed the burden of leaving Honda for Ducati.
The decision comes back to last year’s victory at Ducati a year ago last year, with Marc Marquez returning to victory.
He is currently the top of the MotoGP standings after four rounds in 2025, winning seven of the eight races.
However, Marquez had to break the Honda contract, which was the most advantageous in sports at the time, in order to prioritize the better machines offered at Ducati.
He also quit his job with longtime sponsors Red Bull and Repsol.
Marquez reportedly has left Honda’s offer worth nine numbers.
Mark Marquez: “Money matters…”
“It was a huge responsibility and a very difficult decision,” Marquez told Motorsport about leaving Honda. There he enjoyed his prime and won each of his six MotoGP titles.
“For 98% of people, money is more important than money, which is important to everyone…”
Marquez recalls the money he earned from his success with MotoGP with Honda.
He admitted: “Yes, but money is always important. Are you enough? Yes. Do you want more? Yes.
“It was difficult, but the most difficult thing was relationships.
“I need to be loyal to the people who gave me my career.
“But before I made a decision, I spoke to Honda, Red Bull and Repsol. They gave me advice. 80% said, “You were here to compete, sometimes you need to make a decision, to do your best.”
“We had dinner together in Barcelona. We didn’t talk about bikes. We talked about life. Dinner as friends.
“After listening to all the people, they convinced me.
“They said: “You’re taking care of your mechanic, your family, your sponsors, but it’s your career – it’s 15 or 20 years, you need to make the most of it.”
“I wanted to stay on the same people and the same team because that was my target.
“But I had to find the best way to play.
“That was my decision to continue my career. I didn’t enjoy it, so I would have stopped, that’s it.”
Marquez praises Gresini Race for helping him rediscover his love for racing last year after the 2023 brutal crash fell alongside Honda.
This year, Marquez stepped up to the factory Ducati machinery, leaving his teammate Pecco Bagnaia following him.
Meanwhile, Honda’s MotoGP project also shows signs of improvement.