Alex Marquez has renewed his current deal with the Marc VDS team to remain in Moto2 next season amid rumours of possible MotoGP switch for 2019.
Marquez, younger brother to four-time MotoGP champion Marc, has been in the intermediate class since 2015, stepping up with the Marc VDS squad as reigning Moto3 world champion.
Despite two difficult campaigns in 2015 and 2016, when he finished outside of the top 10 in the standings, Marquez has since emerged as a frontrunner in the class, and has tallied up three victories.
Marquez had been linked with the Avintia team in MotoGP for next year, as the struggling Xavier Simeon's place within the Spanish outfit looks uncertain, but has since opted to remain in Moto2 for at least one more year.
“I’m very happy to be able to announce my renewal with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS,” he said.
“I would like to thank the team for their confidence in me for a project that has us all very excited, ahead of a year in which there will be many regulation changes and novelties.
“This will help me to continue growing as a rider and prepare me for one of my objectives, which is to move up to MotoGP.
“I have great motivation to continue being part of this project, and we will give our all to win the Moto2 World Championship.”
Marquez currently sits third in the Moto2 standings, 35 down on leader Francesco Bagnaia having amassed five podium finishes so far in 2018.
The Marc VDS team looks set to leave the premier class at the end of this year amid internal troubles, with it focusing its efforts solely on Moto2 next season.
Current MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli, who won the 2017 Moto2 crown with Marc VDS, has been strongly linked to one of the Petronas Yamahas run by the Sepang International Circuit team.
Marquez remaining in Moto2 could offer Morbidelli's teammate Tom Luthi an opportunity to remain in MotoGP with Avintia, though this will depend on what backing he can bring to the satellite Ducati squad.
Simeon does have a two-year deal with Avintia, and brings with him subastantial backing from his native Belgium. However, he is yet to score a point in his debut season, and has regularly brought up the rear of the classified finishers.
Marquez's Moto2 stablemate Joan Mir will graduate to the premier class next season, after signinng a two-year deal to join Alex Rins at the factory Suzuki team.
