Marco Bezzecchi
Dani Pedrosa has shared that he had a ‘very intense’ relationship with Marc Marquez when he first joined MotoGP with Honda.
Before the Ant of Cervera arrived on the scene in 2013, Pedrosa was a firm title contender, finishing runner-up three times and P3 twice between 2007 and 2012. The following year, he would have a huge task ahead of him with Marquez on the other side of the Honda garage.
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Marquez was displaying a ‘special’ braking talent before he got to MotoGP, and he showcased that in abundance in his debut season, beating Jorge Lorenzo and Pedrosa for the title in 2013.
Valentino Rossi thought Pedrosa should have won in 2013, but he would never get the better of Marquez as his teammate, nor would he win a MotoGP title. Speaking on the Fast & Curious podcast, he admitted that his relationship with the Spaniard was tense to begin with.
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Dani Pedrosa shares how his relationship with Marc Marquez at Honda was ‘very intense’
Describing his relationship with his Honda teammate, he said: “Well, Marc and I have always had a good relationship on a personal level and as friends, because I’ve known him since he was a kid.
“When he joined the World Championship in 2007, I think, or 2008, I didn’t really have much of a relationship with him, but by 2009–2010 I got to know him a bit better.
“We used to do some events with Repsol and I was already in MotoGP, and then when he joined the team, obviously the atmosphere is very intense because, first of all, in the Repsol team – at least back then – the two riders are like two separate teams, right?
“You don’t work as a team; you work to see who’s the best, and that’s it. And both riders are supported with equipment so that each can be the best they can be, but we aren’t asked to work as a team.
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“Now that’s done a lot at Aprilia, it’s done a lot at Ducati, and it’s done a lot at KTM too, but back then the vibe was, ‘We’ve got really good equipment, you see as fast as you can, and you go as fast as you can, and then whoever’s fastest becomes the number one rider.’
“So, in that dynamic, you as a rider, when you join, when he joined as a rookie, or when I joined as a rookie or later, your goal is to set the pace and always beat your rival, isn’t it?”
Pedrosa described Marquez as a chameleon, with the Ant of Cervera dominating MotoGP from 2013 to 2019. Meanwhile, he struggled to keep up, with various crashes and injury setbacks ultimately hampering his career.
With the pair now on good terms, Pedrosa watches on as KTM’s test rider, while Marquez hopes to win his eighth MotoGP title and 10th Grand Prix championship with Ducati in 2026.
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