Neil Hodgson tells Marc Marquez why he’d be ‘crazy’ to return to Honda in 2027

Add as preferred source on Google

Marc Marquez is already being tentatively linked with a return to Honda. He’s only halfway through his second season since leaving the Japanese giants.

Marquez is as dominant as ever in 2025, with Sunday’s victory at the Austrian Grand Prix his 21st from 26 events (including Sprints). From that standpoint, there’s little incentive to leave Ducati.

However, some believe Marquez doesn’t like having it easy. If he can win the next two titles at Ducati, he might be tempted to cap off his career by restoring Honda to the top.

Marquez going back to Honda in 2027 isn’t ‘out of the question’, though team boss Alberto Puig has played down the chances of the Hollywood move. His emotional attachment to the brand remains, even if they could no longer provide him with a sufficiently competitive bike.

Marc Marquez can satisfy his desire to ‘destroy everyone’ at Ducati

Writing in his column for TNT Sports, pundit Neil Hodgson argued that a second stint at Honda wouldn’t tempt Marquez. His goal is to ‘destroy’ the competition, and Ducati give him the means to achieve that.

With new engines and simplified aerodynamics coming in 2027, Ducati’s rivals will be optimistic of ending their dominance. Honda have signed Romano Albesiano as technical director and KTM engine guru Kurt Trieb to mastermind their fightback, and their superior resources should tell eventually.

Still, Hodgson says Marquez would be ‘crazy’ to gamble on Honda delivering a contending bike rather than signing an extension at Ducati. In the final stages of his career, he can’t risk being back in a position where he has to override the bike to get results.

“I don’t think he will be tempted into a move to Honda, because Marc’s No. 1 goal is to destroy everyone, and he destroyed everyone on a Honda when it wasn’t as competitive,” Hodgson wrote. “He had to take unnecessary risks, and he had beaten himself up.

“By the time we get to 2027, he’s going to be 34 years old. He’d be crazy to think, ‘I’ll tell you what, I’m going to go back to Honda where it all began.'”

The three riders most likely to be Marc Marquez’s 2027 teammate

Marquez is likely to extend, but there’s more uncertainty surrounding the second seat at Borgo Panigale. Francesco Bagnaia simply cannot afford a repeat of 2025 in a contract year.

Bagnaia will probably stay with Ducati, but the confidence in that outcome wanes with each fresh setback. At the same time, those eyeing the seat become more optimistic.

• READ MORE: Giacomo Agostini reveals what Marc Marquez said to him before he ‘refused’ Honda in favour of Ducati

Fermin Aldeguer has been hailed as Ducati’s future after a career-best showing at the Austrian GP. If he can compete with the elite riders more consistently next year, he’s bound to be a strong contender.

And perhaps the outsider in this situation is Pedro Acosta. Acosta has negotiated with VR46, but they suspect he wants a factory deal, and Ducati may see him as the hottest property on the MotoGP rider market.