Marquez-Ducati renewal close: he won't be the highest-paid rider

Marc Marquez put an end to Honda’s super contract at the end of the 2023 MotoGP season. In order to get the bike of the moment, he chose to move to Gresini without a real contract, to earn himself a factory team seat and return to being world champion. Goal achieved for the Cervera superstar, who in an interview on the “Imagin” podcast touches on the delicate subject of finances.

The nine-time world champion gave up HRC’s 20 million per year just to jump on the Desmosedici and put himself back in the game. Almost six years later he returned to being the king of the MotoGP class, experiencing a second professional youth, first with Nadia Padovani’s satellite squad, then with the Lenovo Ducati team. After all, an athlete’s sporting career is short; you have to seize the moment and make the best decisions.

A MotoGP rider’s priority is to be part of an official team, first and foremost for financial reasons. “We might be talking about 100,000 euros or 500,000 euros more, which is a lot of money,” Marc Marquez explained. “I understand it, because that rider’s life can change afterward.” The Ducati rider acknowledges that he is in a privileged position because he has already worked hard and won a lot in the past. Having a solid base allowed him to prioritize the desire to win over his bank account, something not everyone can do. “I made the decision to turn down that contract and aim for the winning bike. I already have a solid base. I’d be crazy to spend all my money.”

For years he has had everything he needs; he hasn’t changed his lifestyle but chose to move from Cervera to Madrid to undergo treatment after the Jerez injury in 2020. He bought a mega villa on the outskirts of the capital, which also represents an excellent investment for the future. In the 2024 MotoGP championship he didn’t take any money from the Gresini team: “They didn’t pay me anything. That was the agreement, and I accepted it. It’s not that I wasn’t paid for the entire year, no. I had sponsors on my suit; they were part of my image.”

Despite his considerable wealth, Marquez maintains a very strict approach to spending. His parents instilled in him from a young age the value of hard work, and he hasn’t forgotten it. “Sometimes, when I’m with friends, we joke saying: ‘For me, 10 euros is like you spending 10,000, given your salary,’ and I stay silent. I reply: ‘Yes, but that’s 10,000 euros, my friend. Do you know how much 10,000 euros is for a family?’ And they say: ‘But I spend 10 or 100 euros, and you spend 10,000, so proportionally it’s the same thing.’ Of course I stay quiet, but I’m realistic and I don’t spend that much.”

This way of thinking is also reflected in his choice of cars. Marc is not a collector of sports cars. He bought a luxury Porsche, but quickly realized it wasn’t for him. “My biggest indulgence was a car. I bought one of the few cars I’ve ever owned, a Porsche 911 Turbo S, and then I sold it to buy an Audi RS6 because I didn’t use it, because I was embarrassed to drive it... It was made for two. And I wondered, where do I park it? I sold it and bought an Audi RS6.”

The lack of an announcement or official confirmation of Marc Marquez’s contract renewal with Ducati is due to several reasons. One is the Concorde Agreement, under which the teams and Liberty Media must reach an understanding on the commercial aspects of the MotoGP championship. Another reason for this delay for number 93 is that he is likely negotiating a 1+1 contract with a higher salary. The renewal seems a given, but he won’t be the highest-paid rider on the grid. Ahead of him is almost certainly Fabio Quartararo, the Yamaha rider who will move to Honda next year.

Marc Marquez’s salary could rise to 15 million euros a year with the new contract proposed by Borgo Panigale. This figure is far from what he was earning in 2025: 3 million euros (excluding bonuses). But Honda would surpass this figure with Quartararo’s salary, as they need fresh strength for their project. Let’s recall that in 2020 the Japanese manufacturer offered the Cervera rider a four-year deal worth 100 million euros. And Marc decided to terminate the contract a year early in order to move to Gresini’s Ducati and get back to winning.