Marco Bezzecchi
The MotoGP rider market has been kick-started into action in the past few days, prompting Alex Marquez to address his future at Gresini during the Italian team’s 2026 season launch event.
The first domino to fall in the MotoGP rider market involved Honda, after it was reported that Fabio Quartararo would be departing Yamaha for their Japanese rivals on Thursday.
Then it emerged that Jorge Martin would be stepping into Quartararo’s vacant seat in turn.
The news sent the MotoGP world into pandemonium, given the fact that two of the grid’s world champions have already sorted their 2027 rides out without a bike even touching tarmac in 2026.
- READ MORE: Aprilia identify their ‘priority’ target after Francesco Bagnaia snub, and it’s not Alex Marquez
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Alex Marquez addresses his MotoGP future amid ‘crazy’ rider market
During an interview with journalists at Gresini Racing’s 2026 MotoGP season launch event in Malaysia, Alex Marquez fielded some questions regarding his future at the Italian team.
The three-time Grand Prix winner’s name has been included in a number of different rumours that have linked him with an exit from the Ducati-backed satellite team, with a recent report suggesting that Marquez will be fighting Francesco Bagnaia for a seat at Yamaha in 2027.
However, the Spaniard outlined the risks of committing to a new team too early, telling the press, via Moto.it, “I think the market from 2027 onwards is pretty crazy, and many will be thinking about making changes to the teams.
“They’ll say, ‘Why are they going to that factory if they’re not strong now?’ But there will be new rules, so this opens up many options for the future, for all riders. If you can take any risks, it will be in 2027, because no one knows.
“All the manufacturers will tell you they have the best bike, but no one knows which bike will be the best on the track. That’s what we need to be really smart about.
“For a rider, the motivation or expectation is always to be in a factory team, but as I told you, I’m super happy, so that’s also on the scale.
“Once all the options are on the table, I’ll decide what’s best for my future as a rider.”
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Alex Marquez also noted KTM’s performance in MotoGP’s Sepang shakedown
Another team that Marquez has been linked with in the past is KTM, who were in action at MotoGP’s Sepang shakedown over the last few days.
KTM firmly denied the links last November, but the Austrian constructor’s early benchmarks in the shakedown caught the Gresini rider’s eye.
When asked about his thoughts on having a factory bike amid the progress Ducati’s rivals have made over the winter break, Marquez replied, “The factory bike is always necessary, always.
“No matter what year you’re in, it’s always necessary to have some help. I think even more so this year. It will be interesting to see how much the other bikes improve, how much the manufacturers want to invest in this final season with these rules. We’ll see.
“We’re seeing in the shakedown that KTM seems to be making some steps forward, trying a lot of things. Everyone wants to be sharp and be there, so it will be interesting to see how much we can improve.”
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