Marc Marquez was the centre of attention last weekend at Misano, where he played a game of misdirection about his immediate future in MotoGP.
His attitude seeks to prolong a soap opera that leaves one thing crystal clear: both the paddock and the fans are more concerned about the path the Spanish rider follows than about what happens on track.
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The rider himself acknowledged as much on Monday when he spoke to the journalists who stayed at the Misano circuit to cover the collective test that took place there after the grand prix. "I'm going to drag it out as long as I can," he said, referring to the date on which he will announce which team he will ride for next season.
Although the Spaniard even named up to three possibilities, logic suggests that there are two alternatives he is really considering: either to remain tied to Honda, at least until 2024 when his contract expires, or to sign for Gresini and compete, alongside his brother Alex, on a Ducati.
No media outlet that follows the world championship on-site wants to be embarrassed. That is why it is surprising that, over the last few days, there had been headlines that took Marquez's departure to Gresini for granted, and others that guaranteed he would stay at Honda.
Autosport understands that the Catalan has been contemplating both scenarios at all times, with the sole intention of getting back to being competitive and riding at the front, and doing so as soon as possible. At 30 years of age, that should rule out the hypothesis from those who have suggested the possibility of him taking a sabbatical.
In that sense, the temptation to join the Faenza team, which in 2024 will have two Ducati Desmosedici GP23 - with which Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have accumulated seven wins out of a possible 12 - is perfectly understandable. That route would allow him to avoid the role of semi-tester that he has been playing in recent years at Honda, and from which he is already quite exhausted.
Source: Autosport