Alex Rins has admitted he thought Marc Marquez was ‘playing a little bit with us’ when rumours first emerged of an early MotoGP split from Repsol Honda.
But speculation intensified over the following rounds, culminating in the eight-time world champion officially negotiating an exit from Honda after the recent Japanese Grand Prix.“I’m surprised because at the Misano GP, he did a lot of joking on social media. So for this reason, I thought maybe he’s staying and he’s playing a little bit with us,” said LCR rider Rins, who had already negotiated his own Honda departure for 2024.
“The decision was not clear. It looks like the last two months, I played with all of you, but honestly speaking, the situation was changing every week,” Marquez said on Thursday. Rins continued: “If he takes this decision it’s for . So we need to respect this decision and for sure I hope that Marc is going to win again. He’s a very fast rider and if he makes this decision, I think it’s because he's not able to get this winning feeling again with the Honda.”
“For sure I could have his seat in Honda next year , but when I decided to move to another manufacturer, I didn’t have this opportunity,” said Rins, who used a clause in his HRC contract that allowed him to leave LCR if he received a factory offer.
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