The eight-time world champion will move from Repsol Honda to Gresini Ducati for 2024 on a one-year dea☂l which is far less lucrative, but his earning power could skyrocket if his on𝕴-track success returns.

“By mid-way, he’s open to t💫alking to everyone,” ex-racer Simon Crafar said during the Indonesian MotoGP, a double-DNF weekend for Marquez, about the star rider’s 2024. 

“B♓ecause🐼 all of the contracts come up at the end of next year.

“So by mid-way everyone is talking seriously.

“If Honda come up with something, he can go back with ꦐeverything he’s learned from Ducati.

“It’s possible. He’s⛦ free to talk to all of the manufacturers. And all of them have places avail🐬able.

“He’s put himself in a very pไowerful position for tꦍhe following year.”

The only rider contrཧacted beyond the end of 2024 is Brad Binder, meaning the 2025 MotoGP season could see a flurry of rider moves.

It also means every manufa🌜cturer, and every team, is guaranteed to have a space that they could offer Marquez, should he overcome his advancing age and his history of injuries to return to winning ways.

“Me🅰dia speculation is that he did have the opportunity to move to Pramac on a two-year deal but refused that, and opted to go for a one-year option at Gresini instead, for that exact reꩲason. To leave himself available,” Dorna’s Jack Appleyard replied in conversation with Crafar.

Crafar said: “If Marc’s plan comes off, meaning he’s dominating, leading the championship, winningꦏ races by mid-next year when deals are done, his value is so high. 

“You can knoไw how good Marc is because everybody in the paddock does. But when a rider is proving it? That makes the num🅰bers on the offer change.”

Ducati riders will be “worried”

Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have already considered that Marquez, ri💛ding a Ducati, will return to fight for the 2024 title.

“I believe they’ll sa🎉y it’s great because they can look at Marc’s data,” Crafar said about the reaction of Ducati riders. 

“But deep down, everyone will be worrie🤡d because Marc is so determined to win.

“He is going ൩to put fear into everyone els☂e on the grid, now that they know he’s on a Ducati.

“Having Marc on such a competitive machine - even though it’s year-old spec, which is still very go♏od - he will stir the championship up.

“E🍬veryone talks about how talented Marc is. I think there are quite a few riders with the same talent, ability꧙. He just  wants it more. He wants it so bad that he’s willing to risk so much repeatedly, even after everything he’s been through.

“He෴ wants to do this because he wants to win again, and I really think he can.

“I believe he can fight for the champio💎nship at least, maybe even dominate! He’s that good, he wants it so bad.”

App▨leyard replied to Crafar: “The big takeaway from this is his🍎 desire. He’s walking away from a multi-million pound contract with Honda to earn obviously much less money at Ducati. But he gives himself a better chance at victory.”

Crafar said: “He’s been through a lot, those injuries. He did everything to be ready for this year. The timing of h༒is operation. His bike wasn’t ready, he was. 

“It felt like he did everything possible to be ready for ꦓnext year - it was hard, we saw him go th🤡rough horrible things in Germany, I felt like he’d been beaten into submission. 

“He gave Honda the opportunity at the Misano test to give him hope that he could win the championship next year and it didn’t come. Then in Jꦍapan, the things that [Honda brought], he said they weren’t what he asked for, and he’s not using them in the race. The final nails in the coffin.

“He’s riding the Gresini bike next year, that is one year on a satellite 🐟bike, not taking the same type of money that he would from a huge manufacturer. He can prove what he can do next year. Figuring out how  to win, and how to win regularly.

“It might take 🎉half-a-dozen races to understand the bike but I doubt it💫!”