The Gresini Ducati MotoGP squad officially announced on Thursday in Indonesia that it has signed six-time premier class champion Marc Marquez to its line-up for 2024.
It’s been an open secret that Marquez was on the move to the satellite Ducati outfit since his current team Honda announced it would be parting ways with the Spaniard last week, bringing an end to months of rumors that he was looking to move to greener pastures as the manufacturer struggled to fix its troubled RC213V.
Marquez will join his brother Alex at the team to complete the all-sibling rider line-up at the Italian outfit, the younger Marquez having departed the Honda stable at the end of last season – his switch thought to be one of the main catalysts for Marc’s Ducati move.
Marquez’s confirmation also means that current Gresini rider Fabio Di Gianantonio is left without a berth in MotoGP for next year, forcing him to either switch to a different series entirely such as the World Superbike Championship, or potentially make the step back down to Moto2 going forwards.
Marquez says he is “excited” about taking on a different premier class machine for the first time in his decade-long MotoGP career, something he felt he had to do to get out of his “comfort zone” after so long racing with Honda.
“I’m excited about this new challenge. It wasn’t an easy decision because it’s a big change in every way,” explained Marquez in a statement confirming his move to Gresini Ducati for 2024.
“But sometimes in life, it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself through the paces to keep growing. Bike-chance-wise, I know I will have to adapt my riding style to a few things, and it won’t be easy.
“But I’m also sure that the whole Team Gresini will help me a lot. I can’t wait to get to know the team and start working with them. I’d like to thank Nadia, Carlo, and Michele for the trust and respect they showed me.”
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