MotoGP BREAKING: Alex Marquez switches from Honda to Gresini Racing Ducati in 2023
The Gresini Racing Ducati MotoGP team has announced that Alex Marquez will race alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio in 2023. The Spanish rider swaps the Repsol Honda Team for the Ducati bike of the late Fausto Gresini’s team, which is now commanded by Nadia Padovani Gresini.
Marc Marquez’s brother has two second places as the best results in the premier class, achieved in 2020. Now, it is the first time that he will ride a Ducati bike.
In an interview for MotoGP.com, Alex said he ‘needed this change’, demonstrating that he was no longer happy with the Honda bike, which has been disappointing in recent years in terms of performance.
Alex Marquez: “I’m really happy to announce that I’ll be joining Team Gresini MotoGP, and I’m also very excited to be starting this new adventure: it was crucial for me to change in order to recover the same type of motivation I had when I first joined this class. This was the best option for me, with a team that helped writing the history of this championship. I would like to thank Nadia, Carlo and all the GR staff for believing in me. I still have half a season left to do my best before starting 2023 with top motivation.”
Fabio Di Gianntonio: “I’m really happy to extend my partnership with this team, which is like a family to me. It’s great because we’ll continue on this learning curve, and we’ll be doing so with a Ducati – and that makes me very happy. Continuity is key in MotoGP in order to be able to work on myself to be the best possible. We have been working on this contract extension for a little while, and now we can finally announce it. Obviously the goals will be higher: we’ll be using this second part of the season to improve our results and then next year I really want to make that step up.”
Nadia Padovani Gresini, Team Owner: “I’m really happy with this new project. First of all we’re confirming our continuation with Fabio Di Giannantonio. He has already shown his talent this year, as he has been improving race after race, and I’m sure that he’ll keep getting more competitive. We were looking to put a more experienced rider alongside him, and I think Alex Marquez is the perfect one for our team. His CV speaks for itself: we think he has great potential and that the Desmosedici machine may be the perfect companion on his new journey. Welcome to the family, Alex!”
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photos: MotoGP