Alex Marquez says the opportunity to become a factory rider again was impossible to turn down, explaining why he will leave Gresini for KTM at the start of MotoGP's new 850cc era in 2027.
After rebuilding his career at Gresini following a wretched two-year stint at LCR, Marquez will join KTM next year, forming an all-new line-up alongside fellow Ducati graduate Fabio di Giannantonio.
This will only be the second time that he is racing for a works squad in MotoGP, having previously riden for Honda on his debut in 2020 before stepping down to LCR.
The Spaniard said securing a factory seat became his goal following his most successful season in MotoGP last year, when he finished runner-up in the standings to his brother Marc Marquez.
But his decision was made easier when KTM approached him with an offer that made him feel valued and gave him the opportunity to take the next step in his career.
“It was my target,” he told MotoGP.com. "Last year, when I finished runner-up and had a really good season with a lot of points, I just put that target to be a factory [rider].
“Especially next year with the new rules, it will be so important to have all the upgrades. So I said, ‘we need a factory contract, but especially a factory team’. And KTM came to me directly [and said], ‘we need you, we want you, and we want you in our project.’
“I know many people working inside KTM from the past, who were also working with me. I was just trying to do some calls.
“Then I say, ‘OK, it's a project that I always liked, I think that it can be super, super fast, and why not be the surprise next year?’"
Marquez joined the factory Honda team in 2020 as a rookie, replacing the retired Jorge Lorenzo. While that itself put him under a lot of pressure, he was reluctantly thrust into a leadership role almost immediately after his brother Marc Marquez suffered a season-ending injury in the Jerez opener.
The Spaniard ultimately ended up finishing 14th in the COVID-affected season, with back-to-back podiums at Le Mans and Aragon being the highlight of his campaign.
Now, with seven years of MotoGP experience behind him, the younger Marquez believes he is ready to lead a factory project.
“I'm 30 years old, and I have the experience,” he said. Also, it will be quite important next year with the new tyres and new rules to give all the information really deeply and direct to the factory.
“But I'm a rider, I'm not an engineer, so my work is to be fast on track and to get the maximum podium and victories for the factory. That's what we will try.”
While there are significant difference in rider salaries between a factory team and a satellite team, Marquez insisted money wasn’t the deciding factor in his move to KTM.
“That was not the main priority. The priority was the project, the people that were inside, and also my dream to be a factory rider in a factory team,” he explained.
Leaving Gresini
Marquez joined Gresini in 2023, with the team offering him both a competitive bike and a healthier working environment to rebuild his career following years of struggles at Honda.
He scored a sprint win in his very first season with the team, before establishing himself as one of the leading riders within Ducati.
This earned him a promotion to a factory-spec bike this year, but the door to the official Ducati squad was closed when Borgo Panigale marque hired Pedro Acosta from KTM instead of promoting a rider from within its roster to replace Francesco Bagnaia.
Marquez admitted leaving Gresini after three seasons will be one of the hardest parts of the move.
“I'm sad to leave Gresini,” he said. “When it was the moment to make the contract with KTM and all that, I was speaking with [team boss] Nadia [Padovani] every day on the phone and trying to explain everything.
“I made a promise to her last November. I said, ‘when the first factory will come to me, I will explain to you directly.’
“She was sad, but at the moment, she was super happy for me because she said to me, ‘you deserve it’.”
