Marc Marquez’s assistant disagrees with Ducati CEO about winning the title at Honda’s home race

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Marc Marquez is within reach of his seventh MotoGP title and can potentially seal it at Honda’s home Grand Prix, the team with which he has won every one of his six prior titles.

Marquez took maximum points from the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi, after crashing out from the lead of the Sprint on Saturday.

His dominance throughout the current campaign has been a force that no other rider has been able to reckon with.

Marquez currently holds a 182-point lead over Alex Marquez in the MotoGP standings and needs a decent haul of points at Motegi to seal his seventh title and be crowned the world champion.

It would be quite ironic for the home Grand Prix of Honda to be the site of his seventh title, considering he left the team ahead of the 2024 season following a highly successful 11-year stint with the team that ended with a swathe of injury issues.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez responds to claims he never wanted to seal the MotoGP title on Valentino Rossi’s turf

Marc Marquez’s sparring partner says he would prefer to clinch the 2025 MotoGP title ‘somewhere other’ than Japan

However, those close to Marquez believe he isn’t too keen on sealing the title at a race which is so close to the hearts of those who helped him become one of the most successful riders in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Speaking to Diario AS at Misano, Marquez’s closest confidante and sparring partner, Jose Luis Martinez, revealed the championship leader’s feelings on the prospect.

“With everything Honda means to Marc, he would certainly like to be crowned champion with Ducati somewhere other than Honda’s home, but wherever it is, we’ll celebrate,” Martinez said.

“We know a bar called Jet Lag, a typical Japanese bar with a karaoke bar next door, where we’ve already celebrated other titles, and if we have to do it again, it could be a good place.”

The Japanese Grand Prix has seen Marquez be crowned as the premier class champion on three previous occasions: 2014, 2016 and 2018. He is also the most successful rider in the history of the race in Japan, winning there a total of five times across all three classes.

READ MORE: Dani Pedrosa shares whether he would have won a MotoGP title during Marc Marquez’s injury lay-off at Honda

Ducati’s CEO would love nothing more than to win the title at the home of the previously dominant Honda team

In contrast to Marquez’s feelings about winning the title in Japan, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali would love nothing more than to get one over on Honda and celebrate a world championship in their backyard.

“Winning the title in Japan is something very beautiful, because, in a way, it’s a demonstration, in this very complicated moment in the geopolitical situation in Europe, Asia, and the United States,” Domenicali told Marca.

“Winning the title with an Italian bike in Japan, Japanese brands have always dominated the World Championship for a long time; now, Ducati has won six consecutive constructors’ world championships. 

“Winning the riders’ title in Japan is a demonstration, it’s beautiful, and it gives us satisfaction.”

The pecking order in MotoGP has shifted in recent years, with Ducati emerging as the dominant constructor in the 2020s.

Before them, Honda was a very tough constructor to beat. They currently stand in a league of their own in terms of constructors’ championships, winning 25 premier class titles and holding nine more than the second most successful team, MV Agusta.