What "unique" Marquez deal says about his and Honda's ambition

Honda announcing it had re-signed Marc Marquez for the 2021 season came as a surprise to no one. What was a shock was that Honda had gotten the six-time MotoGP world champion to commit to four more years with the RC213V.

HRC President Yoshishige Nomura called it a "unique deal" for a "unique champion", and the situation is certainly that - unique. Off the blocks, it is a master stroke from Honda.

There is absolutely no doubting that Marquez is the best rider on the grid, and is possibly even the greatest of this generation. At just 27 years old he has six premier class titles to his name in just seven seasons and 56 MotoGP victories, all of which make him the most successful Honda rider in history, and surpassed Mick Doohan as the third most successful ever.

Last year, on a bike that wasn't remotely capable, Marquez finished in the top two in 18 of the 19 races - a frightening display of consistency rivalled only, in the humble opinion of this writer, by Iron Maiden's output of LPs over the last 40 years.

Naturally, this makes Marquez MotoGP's most wanted figure - a man most manufacturers would be willing to broker a deal with the Devil at the crossroads to get on their motorcycle.

The fact they won't be able to do so for at least four years will no doubt cause sleepless nights. From this standpoint, why wouldn't Honda want to commit for as long as possible, no matter the cost?

Well, for starters, as common a rule as don't run with scissors, you should never break up a winning team. You only have to look down the pitlane at Ducati to see the consequences of doing just that.

Impatience from Ducati senior management with Jorge Lorenzo in the early stages of his second year on the Desmosedici in 2018 led to the triple champion finding himself casting out for a ride in 2019. But, just two weeks later, Lorenzo went on to win back-to-back races at Mugello and Catalunya, and a third in head-to-head combat with Marquez in Austria (above). Ducati finally had the means to take the fight properly to Marquez but, with Lorenzo off to Honda, realised too late.

Having watched how a top rider in Lorenzo struggled so much, Honda knows the options out there capable of dragging the bike to a title are limited. So, what's the point in looking elsewhere when it's only a matter of agreeing to whatever terms Marquez asks of them in a contract?

The fact its top rider Andrea Dovizioso ended last year's campaign 151 points adrift of Marquez in second in the standings, while Lorenzo's replacement Danilo Petrucci didn't even see the top six in the second half of the season following a win at Mugello, says all about Ducati's decision. Its futile attempts to get a now-retired Lorenzo back into the fold at Pramac for this year, at the expense of potential future star Jack Miller, smacked somewhat of desperation.

One does have to wonder, though, just how much is Alex Marquez is linked to his brother's long-term Honda deal? We know Marc pushed incredibly hard for Honda to give the sister works Honda vacated by Lorenzo to his Moto2 world champion brother Alex. HRC yielded and allowed the creation of MotoGP's first brothers-in-arms line-up.

But was Marc's signature on a four-year deal the stipulation of Honda agreeing to his wishes to have Alex promoted to Honda for his debut MotoGP season? Alex absolutely deserves his shot - all world champions in Moto2 do - but this theory will surely persist in the paddock's mind for some time. If that is the case, it shows just how much power Marquez the elder holds with Honda.

"The power he has in MotoGP is immense, the power he has in Honda is immense," LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow told Autosport when asked for his thoughts on Marquez's deal during BT Sport's season preview event this week.

"Doing what he's done [dominate] has given him even more power, it'll make him even stronger. You can't blame him for doing that [committing to a long-term deal], everybody would have done the same thing. It's not out of the norm.

"We all knew Marc was going to sign with Honda [again], but everyone's shocked that it's four years."

Honda has read the room in MotoGP. The RC213V is a notoriously difficult bike; after all, this is the machine that effectively ended (well, for the time being at least) Lorenzo's career after his soul- and bone-destroying single season on it last year. Crutchlow was the only other Honda rider to make it to the podium last year.

What Marquez has done on the bike is well-documented, but it is only he who can do it. Having watched how a top rider in Lorenzo struggled so much, Honda knows the options out there capable of dragging the bike to a title are limited. So, what's the point in looking elsewhere when it's only a matter of agreeing to whatever terms Marquez asks of them in a contract?

Unsurprisingly, Honda's announcement rallied the detractors to poke their heads out of the shadows to point out - incorrectly - that Marquez can't even be seen as a 'true great' if he doesn't win on another machine. It's a theory that bizarrely persists in motorsport - but it's one which crumbles under its own weight when names such as Ayrton Senna, Kenny Roberts and Doohan are thrown out there.

Crutchlow is under no illusions of what would happen if Marquez ever left Honda.

"I can tell you now, he would definitely win on another manufacturer, no matter what bike it is on the grid," he claimed with absolute confidence.

Marquez doesn't crave applause - he desires victory, and he knows with Honda, no matter how hard the bike is to ride, that's exactly what he is guaranteed

"I honestly believe that. That's not me just saying Marc's the God, the be all and end all. It's just the honest truth, and I would absolutely put my house on it that he could challenge for a title on any bike on that grid, any single one - if he had his team around him.

"But with what he's got at Honda, it's a fantastic combination. Why would you not do that?"

And perhaps this is Marquez's true motivation for signing to Honda for four more years. He doesn't crave applause - he desires victory, and he knows with Honda, no matter how hard the bike is to ride, that's exactly what he is guaranteed.

The statistics and facts suggest Crutchlow is absolutely spot on. Marquez would win the MotoGP title on whatever bike tickled his fancy, and I'm sure he is all too aware of that. So, if he has no reason to doubt that, then what's the point in foolishly departing a winning team just to prove something you already know to be true - not least just to appease those who'd likely still find reason to fault him despite passing their own, passionately-stated requirements for greatness?

Marquez's new deal - more than anything - is a blunt message to those who deny his status as one of MotoGP's greatest.