Marc Marquez’s former crew chief says it would be ‘unthinkable’ for him to leave Ducati

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Santi Hernandez worked with Marc Marquez for over a decade, but doesn’t see a reunion with the Spanish ace on the cards.

Given his start to the season and his longstanding tenure in MotoGP, there has been speculation about Marquez’s future, not just with Ducati, but in the sport as a whole.

Marquez’s contract reportedly runs until the end of this season. However, talks over a new contract initially struggled as Marquez pushed for a 1+1 deal with Ducati.

Due to this, some within the paddock felt Marquez returning to Honda in 2027 is possible, given his history with the team prior to joining Ducati.

However, Santi Hernandez, Marquez’s former crew chief and current Honda technical head, has dismissed the idea of a reunion with Marc Marquez at Honda.

READ MORE: Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo defend Marc Marquez’s controversial bike change in Jerez Sprint

Santi Hernandez gives his verdict on reuniting with Marc Marquez amid Ducati future uncertainty

In an interview with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Honda HRC technical head Santi Hernandez spoke about Marc Marquez’s future and a possible reunion.

Despite their decade-long journey together, Hernandez doesn’t anticipate a reunion with Marquez, believing him to be happy at Ducati and not expecting him to race for much longer.

“I don’t think so. You can never say never. He’s at Ducati now, he’s happy, he’s got his smile back, he’s enjoying it again.

“It would be unthinkable for him to move now, but if he decides to move and goes back to Honda, and I work for Honda, and life brings us together again, fine.

“But realistically, our professional chapter is over. He has his professional life with another team now, I have my professional life with another team.”

READ MORE: Marc Marquez told his Ducati engineers to ‘stop talking about fitness’ ahead of the Spanish GP

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Santi Hernandez claims Marc Marquez won’t race till he’s 40 years old

Speaking further in the interview, Hernandez suggested that Marquez isn’t looking to stretch his career past the age of 40. He did admit that he wants to see his friend happy, regardless of where they are now.

“Honestly, I don’t see Marc racing until he’s 45, or even 40. Maybe I’m wrong. I think our chapter is over. Watching him grow has been incredible for me, and seeing him enjoy himself again after everything he’s been through, happy, as a friend.”

Marquez still has a lot of time left in his career if Hernandez’s timeline is to be believed. At 33 years old, the eight-time world champion is certainly closer to the end of his career than ever before.

As it pertains to Ducati, Marquez has reportedly agreed to a new contract, but asked the team not to announce the deal yet.

For now, Marquez will have his focus solely on the Spanish Grand Prix later this afternoon, as he looks to turn his season around with a monumental home race win.