Marc Marquez: "My mental health would be finished" if I stayed at Honda

Marc Marquez has shed light on a tense conversation with Honda, where he admitted one more year in the team would end his career.

Marquez opted to quit Honda - the team that delivered his six MotoGP titles - to join Gresini Ducati this year.

So far, he has fought at the front multiple times in a stark contrast to last season, a year where he broke an unwanted personal record for the amount of crashes.

“It was a super difficult decision,” he told TNT Sports about ending his Honda stay with a year remaining on his deal.

“It wasn’t listening to my heart. It was just thinking about what’s best for my future.

“My future is that I want to be a MotoGP rider for many more years.

“The Repsol Honda team was my life, my career. It was super hard. My mechanics, my technicians, sponsors are there.

“I said to them ‘maybe I will do one more year here then finish my career because my mental health would be finished’.

“So, I took this decision. Now I can think about which team I will ride next year for!”

Joining Gresini has resulted in the smile returning to Marquez’s face.

“I am enjoying it,” he said.

“It’s not the same to approach a weekend thinking of being in the top 10, or the top five or fight for the podium.

“This is the main reason why I took this decision - to answer to myself if I am competitive enough.

“The answer is yes, I am competitive. Then, another thing is to be extra competitive to fight for the title.

“Now, I am competitive to fight for the top five with the top boys. This makes me happy.”

In three rounds of the 2024 season, Marquez has scored two P2 finishes in sprint races, and a P4 in the Qatar grand prix.

Meanwhile, his former team’s nightmare endures.

Three Hondas failed to finish the Americas MotoGP last weekend, while Luca Marini (who teammate Joan Mir described as a survivor just for making it to the end) finished last of the riders to complete the distance.

Marini, Marquez’s replacement at Repsol Honda, is one of just two MotoGP riders without a point this season.