MotoGP: Alex Márquez to Partner Brother Marc in the Factory Honda Team for 2020

Alex Márquez has been confirmed alongside his brother Marc in the Repsol Honda Factory Team in 2020 on a one-year contract.

Speculation had been knocked into overdrive, as to who would partner the 6 time MotoGP World Champion Marc Márquez. This has come after the shock announcement from Jorge Lorenzo on the eve of the Valencia Grand Prix that he would be retiring from Grand Prix Racing at the end of the weekend.

The smart money was on former Moto2 Champion and KTM exile – Johann Zarco taking the ride. Impressing on his return to the class filing in for the the injured Takaaki Nakagami.

In a sudden turn of events, late on Saturday it emerged from paddock insiders that newly-crowned Moto2 Champion Alex Márquez was now the prime candidate to partner his brother.

This announcement comes as a surprise to many. What this does is give Honda a bargaining chip to try and sign up the rider that has won them 6 of the last 7 Championships. Marc has been on the side of the fence, that he didn’t want his brother riding a Honda. The reason for this is very simple, the Honda is a very difficult bike for anyone other than Marc to ride.

Repsol Honda have not had a rider other than Marc climb onto the podium since Dani Pedrosa’s race win at Valencia two years ago. Since then the only rider other than Marc to climb on the podium for Honda has been Cal Crutchlow. The Brit scoring 6 in that time.

Bringing Alex into the team on one hand great for marketing and media attention. Having two World Champion brothers in the Factory Honda Team will be a goldmine in term of press coverage and media events.

The Racing side of the coin is a little more complex. Although a double World Champion – Alex isn’t his brother, he takes his time to work his way into a class. The best example being the that it took him 3 seasons to win a race in Moto2 and 5 years to win the title. However, with Alex in the team, Marc will be more open to sharing data and be inclined to helping his brother progress. Just remember, Marc is a ruthless warrior, so although his brother is in the opposite side of the garage, he is a competitor and will still be an enemy on the racetrack.

There is no doubt that Alex is a very talented rider, both his World Titles (Moto3 & Moto2) are proof of that. If he is given enough time he will become a formidable force but will he be given that time? With 2021 contract negotiations already underway, Alex will have a season – potentially half a season to bed himself in to the team and bike and get up to speed. Podiums are not a necessity early on but Top 10 and Top 5’s would likely see him signed on beyond next season.