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.