Marc Marquez names the one thing that made him ‘doubt’ whether he should leave Honda for Ducati

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Marc Marquez made history in his 12 years with Honda. It is arguably the greatest partnership MotoGP has ever seen.

The Spaniard joined the premier class with Honda in 2013 after winning the Moto2 title the year prior. Not many would have expected the success he would go on to have with the Japanese manufacturer.

Marquez won the title in his rookie season over Jorge Lorenzo by four points. He was the first rookie to win the MotoGP championship since Kenny Roberts in 1978 and the youngest to ever become champion.

The 32-year-old went on to win five more titles in the premier class (2014, 2016-2019) as he was almost unstoppable for most of the 2010s.

But during practice for the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Marquez broke his right arm in a crash, ruling him out for the entire season. When he returned, Honda had regressed dramatically.

The Spaniard struggled to find his feet again with the manufacturer and missed large parts of the next three years through continuous setbacks. At the end of 2023, Marquez cut ties with Honda and headed for satellite Ducati team Gresini.

Marc Marquez had ‘doubt’ about joining Ducati because of the ’emotional bond’ he created at Honda

Marquez’s mother told him everything would ‘work out’ after his crash at Jerez. In 2024, the 32-year-old finally found form at Gresini.

Winning three races and grabbing 10 podiums, he finished third in the standings behind Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia. Marquez’s ‘beastly pull’ snubbed Martin of the second factory Ducati seat for 2025.

But speaking with Carburando ahead of the Argentina Grand Prix, the Spaniard admitted he had ‘doubt’ about leaving Honda. The ’emotional bond’ he had created over 12 years was the ‘hardest thing’ to cope with after he decided to join Ducati.

“The human resources team. This was the hardest thing or what made me doubt the most.

“It was a team and it is a team that is working with friends. I worked with mechanics that… I worked with them for 12 years in a row.

“That’s something that creates a relationship, a bond, inexplicable, a friendship, relationship you can’t create in one month, in two. Like in 12 years.

“But that was the most difficult and then also the emotional bond that I had I still have with Honda because it has been one of… well the only one at the moment, the factory that has given me six world titles in MotoGP and I have that emotional appreciation for them.”

Marc Marquez’s subtle message to Francesco Bagnaia with his 2025 Ducati helmet

While he created history at Honda, it was the right time for Marquez to move on to a new adventure at Ducati. In 2025, that decision is already proving to be the correct one.

The Spaniard enjoyed a perfect start to life in red with a dominant weekend at the Thailand Grand Prix. The 32-year-old was exceptional as he took pole position and won the Sprint and main race.

With the next two rounds in Argentina and Austin being suited to his riding style and teammate Bagnaia not having an answer to him at the moment, Marquez is now the firm favourite for the title.

The six-time MotoGP champion has played down his championship chances in 2025 – but there could already be mind games at play. Scott Redding thinks Marquez sent Bagnaia a message with his helmet, stating ‘this is my team’ as he went with an all-red design.