Ducati “interest” in Marc Marquez? “If Honda don’t improve…”

The Repsol Honda star missed much of 2022 rehabilitating after a fourth major arm surgery yet was still his team’s highest-placed rider in the MotoGP standings.

Honda’s horrible year, during which they endured a race without scoring a single point for the first time in 40 years, must not be repeated if Marquez is to have any chance of challenging for a seventh premier class championship in 2023.

If the Spaniard’s brilliance is not matched by his machinery he will look elsewhere, warns the man who knows him best.

“It will all depend on Honda. If they build a bike to win the world championship, it’s okay, but Marc is a winner by nature, he’s only here to win the world championship,” Alzamora told GPOne. 

“If something doesn’t improve after those two years, I think Marc will change his mind.

“Ducati have done a great job. With Gigi Dall’Igna they took a big step forward from a technical point of view, with Paolo Ciabatti they did a lot more. 

“They have a competitive bike, but the impressive thing is that they have eight bikes on the track with strong teams, they make contracts with the riders and they are all young and strong. 

“But I think there will always be interest in Marc, but at the moment they don’t really need him like before.”

Francesco Bagnaia became the first Ducati rider in 15 years to win the MotoGP championship this season. Enea Bastianini will partner him in the 2023 MotoGP rider line-up having finished third in the 2022 standings.

Alzamora had worked alongside Marc and Alex Marquez for 18 years before they announced their shock split earlier this season.

His final act was to land Alex a contract in 2023 for Ducati in their Gresini Racing team.

“This is a great opportunity for Alex and he needed it,” Alzamora said.

“We know that with Honda all the riders have been struggling for years, while Alex will now have a clearly competitive bike, as it has been for Bastianini this year. 

“He will show all of his potential and I’m more than sure that it’s a really great opportunity for him, after having had so many difficulties. Maybe he won’t be very fast right away, but step by step he will arrive with his true style.”