LONDON — Marc Marquez has dismissed speculation he will quit Honda at the end of what has been a wretched MotoGP experience so far this season.
Six-times MotoGP champion Marquez signed a four-year extension in 2020 that will keep him with Honda until 2024, but he has struggled to match his title-winning performances due to injuries and a machine that is unable to compete with Ducati.
Marquez pulled out of last week’s German Grand Prix after crashing five times prior to the race at the Sachsenring – a track where he had won at eight times in his MotoGP career.
He has yet to finish a race this season as he attempts to ride his bike beyond its limits to catch up with the Ducatis, fuelling rumours of a potential exit, but the 30-year-old Spaniard has laid them to the rest for the time being.
“If I’m here, my commitment with Honda is maximum. I want to work with them to improve for the future, improve our project,” Marquez told the MotoGP website ahead of Dutch Grand Prix.
“At the moment, of course I’m here to work with them for the future, which means next year’s project. This year, life will not change a lot,” the Spaniard added.
Marquez’s crash in Sunday’s warm-up left him with a fractured left thumb but he said he was now ready to race within certain limits, especially in the absence of Honda’s injured riders Joan Mir (fractured finger) and Alex Rins (broken leg).
“In Germany when I crashed in the warm-up, in the first hour I felt ready to go. But as time passed I felt more and more pain, especially on the ankle and fractured thumb… there was also a crack on the second rib,” he said according to Reuters.
“These will be most painful this weekend, but we will try to start step-by-step and let’s see. It’s important to be here because two of the main Honda riders are injured – Mir and Rins.
“Honda needs bikes on track to improve for the future.”
Over the last few days, rumours have been rife the Spanish rider will end his 11-year association with the Japanese manufacturer even though he is contracted through to the end of next year. Mick Doohan has suggested he should leave Honda.
n an exciting battle with defending champion Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac took first place at the Sachsenring MotoGP in Germany, narrowing Bagnaia’s advantage in the championship.
Jack Miller claimed the lead in MotoGP at the start of the German GP sprint race, but pole sitter Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati quickly regained the lead, and Miller dropped to fourth place.
Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati also moved up to second, passing Luca Marini of Ducati. Miller finished fourth, after KTM teammate Brad Binder, while Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth, behind Pramac’s Johann Zarco and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
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