In a move that seemingly came from nowhere, it was revealed last week that Pol Espargaro would split from KTM after four years together and join the factory Honda team in 2020, replacing Moto2 champion Alex Marquez.
The agreement between the two parties is all but done, pending a signature and an official announcement, which cannot be made yet due to a clause in 2013 Moto2 champion Espargaro's contract with his current team.
With the coronavirus pandemic putting the 2020 season on hold, Marquez finds himself out of the senior team without having had a chance to prove himself worthy of keeping his factory ride alongside esteemed brother Marc. But while it certainly looks bad for the 24-year-old, the reality is perhaps not as worrying as it might appear.