Marc Marquez reveals the real moment that he knew he had to leave Honda

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Marc Marquez left Honda at the end of the 2023 MotoGP season and many view that year’s German Grand Prix to be his last straw, but it was not the end for the Spaniard.

The 32-year-old had a nightmare visit to the Sachsenring in 2023. Crashes galore across the weekend convinced Marquez to withdraw following the Sunday morning warm-up, having already fallen once during practice and then three times during qualifying on the Saturday.

Withdrawing from the 2023 German GP was a gut punch for Marquez, as it ensured he did not finish a race in the first seven rounds. The Cervera native also did not finish a race until round 10/20 in Austria. He also entered six and started just four of the first nine Grands Prix.

Marquez crashed out of the 2023 season-opener in Portugal, and then missed the following rounds in Argentina, America and Spain after needing surgery on a broken metacarpal in his right hand. He also sat out that year’s Dutch GP due to injuries that he suffered in Germany.

Marc Marquez claims he only decided to leave Honda at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi recently revealed that he told Marquez after the 2023 German GP that he should consider leaving Honda. The Spaniard had struggled for form and fitness at Honda ever since a career-threatening crash during the 2020 Spanish GP at Jerez.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined by five moments

Marquez does not recall having a conversation with Tardozzi at the Sachsenring in 2023. The now-Ducati racer even refutes that the 2023 German GP was his final straw, as he ultimately decided to leave Honda after sealing a P3 finish in the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Marquez said, via Motorsport.com: “I don’t remember anything about that day. I crashed six times that weekend, and I don’t remember who I spoke to and who I didn’t.

“He told me about it. But, in the end, it was a weekend where I understood a lot of things, but I didn’t make the decision there and then. I made the choice more between Misano and Japan. In fact, I’d say Japan.”

Many view the 2023 German Grand Prix as the final nail in Marc Marquez’s Honda career

Marquez sustained a sprain, a fractured finger and a fractured rib at the 2023 German GP. It marked his latest issue after breaking his right humerus at the 2020 Spanish GP, as well as suffering recurring diplopia (double vision) problems and fracturing his metacarpal in 2023.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s five biggest MotoGP crashes

Finish the sentence: In 2027, Marc Marquez will ride for…

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In total, Marquez started 41 of the 72 Grands Prix from the 2020 Spanish GP to his final race with Honda at the 2023 Valencia GP. In that time, he earned three wins and six podiums. So, Marquez gave up the “highest salary” in MotoGP history to leave Honda for Gresini in 2024.

Santi Hernandez, his crew chief at Honda, like many believes that the 2023 German GP was when Marquez hit “rock bottom” with Honda. The Sachsenring is one of his favourite tracks on the calendar, having now scored nine wins there following his victory in the 2025 edition.

The Cervera native even went unbeaten at the Sachsenring from 2011 to 2019, having taken two Moto2 victories before scoring seven straight wins in MotoGP in Germany. He also won there in 2021, but missed the 2022 edition after requiring another surgery on his right arm.