Marc Marquez told Honda would pay him ‘a small country’s budget’ to bring him back

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Marc Marquez signing a contract extension with Ducati is ‘not a given’, according to veteran MotoGP manager Carlo Pernat. That’s despite his dominant championship win in 2025.

Marquez indicated that he’d stay at Ducati when the matter was first raised, but sounded more cautious in a recent interview. The looming 2027 regulation changes make it difficult to predict who will be on top come next year.

In any conversations about Marquez’s future, Honda’s name always comes up quickly. They formed what was statistically the greatest partnership in MotoGP history from 2013 to 2023.

Neither party has ruled out a reunion, but the main condition is that Honda can deliver a contending bike. While they recently moved up from Rank D of the concessions system, this is still a long way from winning races.

Carlo Pernat says Liberty Media will want Marc Marquez back at Honda

Speaking to MOW, Pernat said Marquez’s emotional bond with Honda will always remain, even though he spent four injury-riddled seasons fighting in vain to arrest their decline.

HRC boss Alberto Puig says it would be a ‘dream’ to re-sign Marquez, but says they must take his age into account. He will turn 33 during the off-season.

Any effort from Honda to lure him away from Ducati, while sure to be expensive, would be spurred on by new owners Liberty Media. Pernat says they would relish the homecoming narrative.

“It’s not a given that Marc Marquez will wear Ducati’s colours in 2027,” Pernat said. “Honda is written on Marc Marquez’s heart, and Alberto Puig would do anything to have him back in the garage.

“If Honda continues to grow technically, I believe Japan will offer something worth a small country’s budget. And Marc Marquez won’t think twice if he’s guaranteed a competitive bike.

“Think about it, it’s something the new MotoGP bosses might really like, given that Liberty Media will be focusing on storytelling.

“You know what makes me smile? The thought that in Honda’s garage in 2027, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi’s brother could be there.

“While it’s true that Luca Marini [under contract for one more year] isn’t a superstar, he’s the perfect fit for Honda, so they’re unlikely to let him find a closed door when it comes to renewal.

“Furthermore, Liberty Media would always like a great champion for each brand, so someone from Honda will have to go.”

Marquez turned down an eye-watering pay rise from Honda before he left because his priority was to win races again immediately.

Jorge Martin stays, Francesco Bagnaia must ‘be careful’ – Carlo Pernat’s transfer predictions

Turning to the rest of the MotoGP rider market, Pernat predicted that Jorge Martin will stay at Aprilia beyond 2026. Martin tried to force his way out earlier this year, but has since seen the brand develop into a potential Ducati-beater.

Honda wanted to sign Martin, but a ‘quick’ contract renewal could increase the likelihood of Puig going after Marquez instead.

“You know, I don’t think he’ll want to leave?” Pernat said. “By waiting for him like that, welcoming him even when he was acting up, they probably helped him understand that if there’s a place that has something extra on a human level, that place is Aprilia.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he quickly renewed his contract.”

What of Marquez’s teammate? Bagnaia’s Ducati future is under threat after a desperate season, and Pernat expects the world champions to shop for another superstar if 2026 is the same.

In my opinion, Bagnaia will never want anything other than a Ducati; he even said in Valencia that he’d like to end his career wearing those colours,” he said.

“It’s clear that another season like this would be unthinkable because, if it were to happen, it would definitively strain the relationship between the rider and the team, but be careful: Ducati needs a champion, or at least, it risks having to secure one.”