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Repsol and Honda could close the partnership after this MotoGP season. The emergence of Covid-19 and the absence of Marc Márquez are irreversible problems.
September 28 from 2020 – 13: 36
In July 2018, Repsol and Honda renewed their commercial partnership until the end of the 2020 MotoGP season. A marriage that has been going on for more than 25 years and that could come to an end after the last race in Portimao scheduled for November 22. The hypotheses of divorce have been kicking for some time and the lack of good results in this championship could be the last straw. In Catalonia Alex Márquez and Stefan Bradl did not pass the 13th and 16th place respectively. Results unthinkable until a few months ago, for the team that monopolized the premier category.
The economic crisis resulting from the Coronavirus emergency pushes even further in this direction. Together they have won a total of 15 world titles in the premier class, the last six signed by Marc Márquez. The contract will expire on December 31, 2020 and there is no news in this regard. Both Honda and Repsol are going through difficult times. The oil company has to deal with collapsing crude prices, while the Japanese company has never been on the podium this year. The absence of Marc Márquez makes his weight felt on and off the track. It doesn’t matter that from next MotoGP season there will be a bigo like Pol Espargarò.
As the Spanish website Todocircuito also points out, Repsol runs the risk of closing 2020 with losses of 60%. A blow to the stomach difficult to mitigate and that would prevent the Japanese team from investing 15 million euros a year. After all, some time ago Antonio Brufau, head of the oil company, had already expressed some doubts about investments in MotoGP, with an audience that is in danger of shrinking. HRC is racing for cover and would be testing the terrain to find another title sponsor. The Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell is named. A sponsorship that would be shared with Red Bull, which, for its part, intends to terminate the contract with Tech3. Marketing strategies or mere coincidence?
