Marquez chose to quit Repsol Ho💧nda and join Gresini Ducati in 2024 but, before firming up his decision, he sought out Pedrosa for advice.

Marquez first shared his side of the story to DAZN: “Who did I cal💮l? [Shall] I s💃ay it? I called Dani Pedrosa.

“On the Sunday of the Japan MotoGP. I was in my room after the rac꧒e.

“‘Dani, can I call you?’ And I called him.

“What I asked him, and all that,൩ he can tell you, if he wants!

꧂“But I called him. Because he was at Honda for a long time and he also had an unconventional career.

“What did he say to me? He can tell you,ꦦ if he wants! I wonder if he would be an🌠noyed, because…

“I called him for advice rider-to-rider.

“It wasn’t ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’ Because𒁏 he’s a rider, he works for KTM.

“But rider to rider, I’ve always had a very good relationship wit🧸h Dani.

“And he helped me.”

Pedrosa has now add🔯ed further detail, saying: “Firs🅠t of all, I was surprised.

“I was just watching the race and, a few hours later♎, I got his call.

“I can’t t🦹ell you the details of what t🦩he conversation was about.

“But, obviously, I can say that when I hung up the phone♛, I wasn’t sure what his pick wo▨uld be!

“He just wౠanted to have this exchange of rider experience.

“Obviously, in my situation now wit💃h KTM, I🌠 cannot advise him to do anything.

“But we exchanged some information. 

“Maybe, just because I was a long t🥀ime with Honda.

“He wanted to have a different point of view.

“The situationဣ was hard to choose, because he was in a contract. He had to split the cont♏ract. That’s always a difficult thing to do.

“I h꧋ave no doubt about his talent, no doubt about his abi♛lity to go fast.

“We’ve seen him go fast in 125cc, in Moto2, in MotoGP. I see no reason why he shouldn’t a✤dapt to the Ducati.”

Pedrosa, the most successful-ever MotoGP rider to never win a championship, spent six years as Marquez’s 🐲teammate at Repsol Honda.

Now a KTM test rider, he has thrilled fans and impressed fellow riders with wildcard outings thi﷽s season.

Although we don’t know if Pedrosa told Marquez to leave Honda or not, the enduring closeness b꧒etween them re🌌mains fascinating.

Not least because, after 2024, Marquez will become a free ag🌞ent and KTM have a longstanding interest in him.

And if Marquez needs any informationꩵ about the development oꦆf their bike…