Nine-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will be a key figure in the rider transfer market ahead of the 2027 regulation shakeup.
Marquez is among the majority of the grid whose contracts expire at the end of the standard two-year MotoGP contract cycle.
The 2027 regulations represent a major overhaul, including the removal of ride-height devices, a reduction in engine capacity from 1,000cc to 850cc, and a switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres.
The Spaniard hasn’t completely ruled out a move away from Ducati at the end of 2026, with reports linking him to a return to Honda, where he spent a decade with the Japanese marque.
On his future, Marquez stated to GPone: “For next year [2026], it’s clear that we’ll have the fastest bike, which is the most important thing.
“For 2027-2028, however, everything is still up in the air; everything will be open.
“But if you look at me, I’m happy, I’m fast, and I’m winning, I’ve tried not to move.
“So the priority is to be fast, and in Ducati you can be that, but I’ll also have to understand many things and decide what’s best for my future.”
However, when asked to rate his desire to remain in factory red on a scale of one to ten, he replied: “I don’t know, for my side I would say eight, we are working to win, and all sides want that, and that’s very important in my view of 2027-2028.”
Marc Marquez: 2027 MotoGP rider market the ‘most difficult’
Marquez believes the rider market ahead of the 2027 MotoGP season will be the “most difficult” due to the multiple unknowns presented by the new regulations.
The reigning champion added that riders will need to trust their gut based on the available data to make the best decision.
“It will be an interesting 2026 season and not only on the championship, on the race track, but also outside the race track, in the paddock, between the tracks,” Marquez told MotoGP.com.
“This will be the most difficult market, during all my career in MotoGP – we never changed the rules; we changed the tyres, but then it’s quite easy to predict which will be the bike or which project is for you.
“But no one can promise you which will be the best bike [in 2027], you need to follow your instincts.”
KTM were the first MotoGP team to test an 850cc engine at Jerez in early December, while Honda’s planned test in Sepang was halted by heavy rain.
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