Marquez signs new Marc VDS Moto2 deal for 2020

Marquez, brother of five-time MotoGP champion Marc, leads the Moto2 standings in his fifth season in the category, having finished second last time out in Austria after winning five of the previous six races.

“I am very happy to be able to announce that next season I will continue with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in the Moto2 category,” Marquez said. “I am very grateful for the confidence of the team.

“With its renewed technical structure, a key part of the current success, I will be able to continue for one more year to improve as a rider, raise my riding level and prepare myself to fulfil my dream of making the leap to MotoGP.”

The 23-year-old was understood to have been offered a Petronas Sprinta Moto2 ride for 2020, but the deal fell apart, with Yamaha’s reluctance to give him one of its satellite bikes in MotoGP for the year after believed to be a major factor.

This means Marquez has now re-committed to Marc VDS for a sixth straight season in the category.

“I'm really happy that the guy, the rider, the man will stay with us for another year,” team owner Marc van der Straten said.

“The option of his promotion to MotoGP next year would have made us excited, as we want the best for him because he deserves it. However, I didn't like the option of him spending another year in Moto2 competing in another team.

“If he were to win the title this year, it would be in bad taste for him to fight for it in 2020 for a rival team when he has been trained with us in this category. Fortunately, he stays at home and will be able to complete his entire career in Moto2 with the team that has seen him grow.”

Although his manager Emilio Alzamora had talks with Pramac Ducati, and another Ducati MotoGP satellite team Avintia publicly confirmed an interest in recruiting Marquez, the Spaniard has long admitted that a 2020 premier-class graduation was unlikely despite his sudden imperious form.

And while Johann Zarco’s shock decision to depart KTM at the end of a current season could’ve opened up a prospective ride, Marquez has now taken himself out of the running.