MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Alex Rins has revealed he received an offer to join Gresini Racing on a year-old Ducati for the 2023 MotoGP season after Suzuki announced its shock withdrawal from the championship in 2022.
The six-time MotoGP race winner had been close to renewing his contract with Suzuki before the Japanese manufacturer confirmed early in the 2022 season that it would exit the series. The decision forced both Rins and his team-mate, world champion Joan Mir, to search for new seats in a market with limited options.
Both riders eventually signed with Honda for 2023. Rins joined the factory-supported LCR Honda squad, while Mir moved to the works team. Rins went on to win the Americas Grand Prix that season, but an injury-affected campaign and concerns over support from HRC led him to switch to Yamaha afterward.
Rins explained that he had a concrete offer from Gresini to ride a year-old Ducati in 2023. That seat ultimately went to Alex Marquez, whose place at LCR Honda was then taken by Rins.
“I don’t regret it because I can’t change it anymore,” said Rins.
“It seems like a very easy decision to get on a Ducati, but currently the satellite teams are not independent.”
“Since Suzuki left, it has been difficult to manage everything, especially in terms of performance.”
“At that time, we had the option of going to Gresini or LCR Honda, and I opted for the latter because they offered me a deal as a factory rider.”
“At Honda, they offered me the same conditions as Marc Marquez and Joan Mir. It wasn’t about money, but about the project and factory support.”
Rins’ comments open up an intriguing alternative scenario. Had he joined Gresini in 2023, the career paths of several riders might have changed, including Marc Marquez’s decision to leave Honda and join the Italian team in 2024.
At that time, riding a year-old Ducati was not a guaranteed route to success, even though Francesco Bagnaia secured the 2022 world title with the factory squad. Gresini now runs factory-spec Ducati machinery from the 2026 season after Alex Marquez claimed three grand prix victories and finished runner-up in last year’s standings.
With the evolving role of satellite teams and Ducati’s continued strength, Rins’ 2023 decision stands as a pivotal moment that could have reshaped multiple MotoGP careers.
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