Japanese MotoGP: Marc Marquez: ‘What can Honda say to convince me? Maybe I am convinced already…’

Marc Marquez continues to give little away regarding his MotoGP future, although he did admit that maybe Honda have convinced him to stay.
Marc Marquez, Honda MotoGP Motegi 2023
Marc Marquez, Honda MotoGP Motegi 2023

Marquez appears increasingly likely to swap the Repsol Hon🐼da colours for that of💝 Gresini Ducati in 2024, although no announcement had been made.

That is expected to𓆏 come after Honda’s home round at Motegi this weekend, b🐠ut when asked about his future, Marquez didn’t want to let anything slip.

"In my mind, I am quite clear," said Marquez about his next move. "On the me꧃ntal side, I don’t have any doub🐼t about me or what’s best for the situation. 

"We are working not only here, but in the past races, to find the best to have a better future for the project. To have the best results as soon as possible. The⛄ target is the same - to find the best way."

Asked if there’s anything Honda can do to convince him to stay, Marquez again gave little away although ꦆhe did admit that working on the Honda project has continued to be a big focus for him despite the speculation.

"I 🐟mean, maybe. What can they say to convince you? Maybe I am convinced already!" ad🐭ded the eight-time world champion. 

"I never said ‘right or left’. I said ‘I want to find the best solution’. I want what’s best f▨or the proj🤡ect. 

"We are working toget🐎her, the relationship isn’t rider-manufacturer. It’s a special relationship, many years together. They gave me many things, I gave them many things."

If Marquez d♔oes leave Honda it will result in the Japanese brand losing ar𒀰guably the greatest rider of a all-time.

Massive s🗹hoes to fill, LCR Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami thinks it would be a disaster if Marquez leaves:𝔍 "It would be massive, massive because he knows how to ride the Honda. 

"We kn✨ow very well that he’s an amazing talent. Hopefully everyone believes that he will stay at Honda. From my side, it’s better he stays at Honda from my side and for Honda🦹."

After a return to form for himself, but also the Repsol Honda te꧅am as a whole in India, Marquez’ teammate Joan Mir will be using the new 2024 chassis on one of his bikes thဣis weekend.

But Marquez will not due to the 2🔯024 prototype having very specific ‘positives’ that he believes won’t work as circuits that are not of a stop-and-go nature.

M🌃arquez said: "Joan Mir will ride with the 2024 prototype chassis. I won’t, at the moment. In Misano I felt positives aಞnd negatives. 

"Maybe here they will be positive. But I believe that prototypeඣ is not the way to ride for a season. 

"So, for me, there’s no [reason] to race with one chassis, then another﷽ chassis. I keep going with what I believe and what I feel.

"India was a really good weekend for the Repsol Honda team. On my side, we worked in a good way. It was a solid weekend apart from a small crash, when I was trying to follow the Ducati riders to find a way to fight for theꦑ podium. 

"I rejoined an💧d the pace was there, it was very good. We will perform in a better way than Silv𒐪erstone or the Catalunya MotoGP.

"I enjoyed it, if you’re in the top five or six positionsꦏ it’s a different feeling, you ride in a different way, your mentality is different. Here, I can be in good shape, at a good levℱel."

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