Marco Bezzecchi
Santi Hernandez was thrilled to see Marc Marquez win the 2025 MotoGP riders’ title, as taking the championship meant he overcame his biggest fear about joining Ducati.
Hernandez and Marquez developed an emotional bond during their storied spell together at Honda. But Marquez broke the relationship up when he left the Japanese constructor to join Gresini in 2024, which was a stepping stone for moving into the factory Ducati team in 2025.
Marquez gave up the “highest salary” in MotoGP history to leave Honda, where Hernandez had served as his crew chief from 2013 until 2023. Hernandez was also by Marquez’s side in Moto2 in 2011 and 2012, but contractual obligations ensured he stayed with Honda in 2024.
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Santi Hernandez feels Marc Marquez’s 2025 title with Ducati proved he was not wrong to leave Honda
The 2025 MotoGP title marked Marquez’s first championship triumph without Hernandez’s help since he won the 125cc class back in 2010. Together, they won the Moto2 title in 2012 and then MotoGP titles in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 after both joined Honda.
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Hernandez believes the 2025 MotoGP title also carried personal significance for Marquez, as it proved he was right to leave Honda and pursue a move to the factory Ducati team. It also put to bed Marquez’s fears that leaving his family at Honda could have proven to be wrong.
Hernandez told MARCA: “He has proven to himself that he wasn’t wrong in the decision he made. I think that was what worried him most. In the end, he has recovered those feelings and, above all, happiness. You see it when he gets off the bike.
“He smiles again, and I think, as I said, the important thing was for him to smile again, and he has. And he has done it in style, winning his ninth world championship.”
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Recently, Hernandez cited the 2023 German Grand Prix as when Marquez hit “rock bottom” with Honda, having had five crashes through a troubled weekend. The 32-year-old withdrew before the race after falls in practice (1), qualifying (3) and the Sunday morning warm-up (1).
It was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back for Marquez, too, as he realised that he had to leave Honda to prove to himself that he could still compete at the top of MotoGP. Honda failed to develop their bike after Marquez’s career-threatening crash at Jerez in 2020.
Marquez has certainly reaped the rewards of his decision to leave Honda and pursue a move to Ducati, with the 2025 title the cherry on top after he sealed the crown with five rounds to spare. The Spaniard dominated with 11 Grand Prix and 14 Sprint wins over the 2025 season.
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