This choice is not without calculations, as both Johann Zarco (on his way to join Team LCR Honda next season) and Marco Bezzecchi, have demonstrated the potential of the satellite Ducati bikes with their standout performances this season. Marquez’s transition to Gresini Racing marks one of the most significant moves in recent memory, reminiscent of his former rivals Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi‘s shifts to the Bolognese outfit.
Lorenzo did have a fair-share of good moments at the factory red before the injuries changed the entire picture and the two parties parted ways. Rossi, on the other hand, didn’t have a stint to remember.
Valentino Rossi’s Stint at Ducati
One of Marquez’s biggest rivals, Rossi, too made a switch from a Japanese manufacturer to join Ducati back in 2011. The Italian rider, at the peak of his career during that time and having won seven premier-class World Championships with Japanese manufacturers, shockingly agreed to move to Ducati in the 2011 season. The then 31-year-old was set to fill a Casey Stoner-shaped void at Ducati after the Australian announced his departure to join factory Honda.
During the 2011 season, Rossi managed to clinch just one podium finish as he finished P3 at the French GP. In the overall riders’ championship, the Doctor ranked at seventh, having bagged 211 points across the season. On the other hand, Stoner went on to become the World Champion during his debut season with Honda.
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In the next season, the #46 doubled his tally and secured two podiums with P2 finishes at Le Mans and at the San Marino GP, respectively. However, the two-year-long stint at Honda also turned out to be a two year winless drought. This led to Rossi returning to Yamaha and again becoming a factory teammate of his old nemesis Lorenzo.
Marquez comes to the picture
Casey Stoner hung up his riding suit following the 2012 season. For the grid, it meant that Rossi was all set for a party in the coming years but the new kid on the block, Marc Marquez, had different plans. History remembers what followed next.
During the time of Rossi’s switch to the Italian outfit, the red missed the ‘fury’ but times have changed and the Desmosedicis are currently the fastest bikes on the grid. It remains to be seen what Marquez can yield out of the one he’s set to ride next season.