Eleven victories, fourteen sprint wins, a title secured with a five-race lead. In 2025, Marc Marquez didn't just win: he crushed the competition. On paper, extending his contract with Ducati seems like a formality. Why leave the most dominant bike of the decade? And yet… the negotiations are reportedly more nuanced than one might imagine…
According to Simon Patterson (The Race), a persistent rumor is circulating: Marquez would not want a firm two-year commitment, but a contractone year plus one yearIn other words, a guaranteed season, with an option for 2028. I don't know where it came from, but the rumor is going around " explains Patterson.
« It would appear that this delay is due to Marc's insistence on obtaining a one-year contract plus an additional year. and not a two-year contract »
A minor detail? Not really. This format would offer him strategic freedom at the end of 2027, precisely at the dawn of the 850cc era. A period of total uncertainty where the hierarchy could be turned upside down.
In the paddock, a scenario is circulating in hushed tones: what if the real plan of Marquez was a return home Honda HRC to end his career in the new era?
« This motorcycle is making his head spin a bit, and he doesn't want to commit to two years on a red machine when the other one is there, encouraging him to fulfill his dream of returning. " says Patterson.
Honda would have massive resources available by 2027. If the project takes shape, Marquez could consider a symbolic return in 2028.
« Marc Marquez will not be a Valentino Rossi who lingers longer than he should »
Patterson goes further: I am convinced that if he signed a one-year contract with Ducati, won the championship with them in 2027, returned to Honda, and won the championship with them again in 2028, he would stop everything. »
And he adds: “ He will not be a Valentino Rossi who lingers longer than he should. He will leave at the height of his glory »
While Marquez temporize, fabio quartararo triggered the first bomb as it approached HondaJorge Martin would head towards Yamaha Ducati, for its part, is preparing for the future with Peter Acostatipped to become the future leader when Marquez will leave the stage.
If the “1+1” is confirmed, Marc Marquez would retain control over the timing of the market. A way to regain control of a transfer period that has become frantic.
Second oldest driver on the 2026 grid behind Johann zarcoMarquez is approaching his 33 yearsHe keeps saying he'll retire when he's no longer the fastest. But today, he still is.
Extend at Ducati seems logical. But locking in its future until 2028 is much less so.
Marc Marquez would be carrying out an unprecedented maneuver: using Ducati as a tool for short-term domination while simultaneously planning a historic exit. By imposing the "1+1" deal, it almost humiliates the competition by showing that it is the sole master of its destiny. If this plan is successful, Marquez will not be content with exceeding Rossi in terms of titles; he will leave with the image of a driver that no one was ever able to constrain, neither on the track nor in the offices.
