The recurrence of Marc Marquez’s diplopia forces HRC to take precautions for an alternative: the two expiring world champions are coveted, with Bastianini and Martin as other hypotheses
Paolo Ianieri
March 23, 2022 – 08:50 am
And now, Honda will be forced to move on the riders market in view of 2023. Despite what Alberto Puig, the HRC team manager, or any other representative of the Casa dell’Ala will ever officially say in the coming days. to total support and unlimited confidence in their rider, it is clear that Marc Marquez’s injury puts Honda with its back to the wall. Because beyond a contract that will expire in 2024 (Marc had signed a four-year contract worth around 100 million just before starting the 2020 season), it is clear that a giant like the Japanese one, the world number one for motorcycle sales, is not he can afford to risk not winning anymore, as has happened in the last two seasons. And since the only rider able to do it with impressive consistency in recent years has been Marc, the possibility – concrete although still very remote at present – of losing him must absolutely be considered.
weakened espargaro
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For this reason, if a fully recovered and competitive Marquez, as seemed to be the case at this start of the season, from a certain point of view also represented a strong protection for Pol Espargarò to reach a renewal of the contract, the logical doubts about the state of The health of the eight-time world champion who will accompany the next few weeks weakens the position of the younger of the two Granollers brothers who – in the paddock no one dares to say the opposite – is certainly not the rider on whom one can rely to aim for the title. After all, his statistics tell it well, with the former Moto2 world champion in 2013 who, after 15 victories in the minor categories, in 8 seasons and two MotoGP races, did not go beyond 8 podiums, of which 7 third places , without ever winning. A little ‘little, in short, to think that at 30 years Pol will be able to achieve that leap in quality so far never happened.
four names
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And so Honda will be obliged at least to try to chase a top name, or a potential big one, in the unfortunate hypothesis of having to give up on Marquez. And the names at stake, with Francesco Bagnaia who has just renewed with Ducati until 2024, are only four: the reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo, the 2020 one Joan Mir and, among the potentially most interesting young people, Enea Bastianini, currently world leader with Ducati Gresini, and Jorge Martin, currently with Ducati Pramac. All of them, especially the stars of Yamaha and Suzuki, will see the contract expire at the end of this season and if the first option, to date, remains that of renewing, no one is under any illusions that in the short, very short, Honda will go to survey the various managers. With, inevitable, a race to the top of salaries.
March 23, 2022 – 08:50 am
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