Jorge Lorenzo: “The Marc Marquez-Honda romance is not the same - will relationship split?”
Three-time MotoGP champion L🍸orenzo ended his career with a below-par year at Honda as Marquez’s teamm🌄ate.
This season amid Marquez’s latest injury strꦍuggles, Lorenzo has suggested his ex-teammate might receive a future offer to go to Ducati.
“It looks like the romanc🅷e between Marc and Honda is꧑ not the same,” Lorenzo said.
“Something has changed. It isn’t the same.
“Marc was used to winning almost every y🏅ear with Honda. Now, with almost three years without winning, the love and romance with Honda has finished a little bit.
“Let’s see if they can re✤cover the romance. Or if the relationship will split.
“Only time and results will tell.
“Marc has [given an] ultimatum to Honda. Not only in private, but also he opened up publicl𒆙y.
“For sure, he needs a reaction from Honda.
“He needs a bike - maybe not 🎃the best bike - but one that is at least close to Ducati, who are the best on the grid.”
Since Casey Stoner in 2011, a Hond🥃a rider has won seven of the past 12 MotoGP championships - the most recent six, of course, all belonging to Marquez.
But last year was a nightmare for the Japanese manufacturer - in Germany, they failed to score a single point at a premier class race for the first tim﷽e in 40 years, and despite Marquez’s long injury absence he was still their highest-placed rider in the end-of-year standings.
Marquez made it clear at the beginning of this season that Honda must deliver him a bike capable of fighting for his seventh title, but he has since broken his hand and now sits 80 points behind𝓀 the championship leader Francesco Bagnaia.
Lorenzo claims Honda make a bike solely to Marquez’s preferences
“Honda are prob🎶ably the strongest,” Lorenzo said. “They are the team who won the most world titles, the team wi🧸th the most budget.
“But it’s not always the stronಌgest team who wins. You need to have everything perfect, you need luck sometimes.
“With Marquez, they won many world titles. Becaus♍e of his talent, his attitude, his physical condition. He is an amazing rider.
“He is a very s෴pecial rider who needs very special characteristics on the🎀 bike.
“They follow completely the way of Marc 𝄹Marquez. But the way of Marc Marquez is only for Marc Marquez!
“For other riders, it is difficult to get resul💎ts.
“So, I think 𓃲10 or 15 years a🔯go the Honda bike was standard for all riders. Now it is special for Marquez.
“Occasionally, Pol Espargaro last year, or Alex Rins who won in Austin, can do good races but it’s a bike that only Marquez caಌn win the championship on.
“It’s a pity because they have great potential.”
Rins, since joining from Suzuki, expre𓃲ssed dissatisfaction this season that he was being underused in developing H🎶onda’s bike.
Days late✃r, he became the first Honda rider aside from Marquez to win a▨ MotoGP race since 2018.
With Marquez perhaps still unavailable in Le Mans next week, Rins and Joan Mir can further stake their claim to lead the way for Hon꧒da.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports🌳 for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
