KTM Factory Racing boss Pit Beirer played down the notion of eight-time GP World Champion Marc Marquez defecting to his team from Honda in 2025, though admits he wouldn’t rule it out entirely.

The Spaniard has been riddled with injuries ever since he wrapped his sixth MotoGP world title in just seven years of competing in the premier class in 2019. However, on his intermittent returns to action he has found a Repsol Honda team struggling to recapture its former magic.

In the wake of another crash - his third in three starts - from a full-length MotoGP feature race, the spotlight is swinging to Marquez to determine whether his faith that Honda will return to prominence is waning.

Indeed, though Marquez still has one more full season to run in 2024 on his HRC deal - signed before he suffered the first of his serious injuries at Jerez in 2020 - a rider of his calibre will be considering options this far in advance.

While Marquez’s loyalty to Honda and sponsors Repsol and Red Bull stretches back to his 125GP and Moto2 days, various hypotheses concerning a move to Ducati - where his brother Alex is enjoying stronger results than he managed at Honda - have been floated, but many feel his more likely destination would be KTM.

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Beyond aligning with Red Bull, there is thought to be a desire from Marquez to assure he legacy by being the one to win KTM’s first MotoGP World Championship title, while paddock speculation suggests he has shown particular interest in its performances.

Bierer insists no official conversations about the potential of him joining KTM have ever taken place, but accepts his availability would make him an interesting candidate potentially.

“Marquez approached by KTM? No, it’s not true,” Beirer told Marca “It has been said in other contexts as well that we are not interested because, first of all, Marc Márquez has an agreement in place with Honda and we have four riders under contract for this year and next year. It’s not even a realistic scenario that we can discuss.

“I saw the rumours lately in the press, and, honestly, I haven't talked to Marc about it,” he continued.

“We have to ask Marc because I feel that in this paddock everyone would be open to talking to Marc

“For me it is a kind of praise because if we remember, last summer, in this situation, we said that we were not ready for MotoGP or in Motocross and now we are in a very competitive situation with our riders, with great performances and then we get a rumour that Marc Marquez is interested in racing for KTM. 

“For all the people who are in the project it is an incredible compliment because he is Mr. MotoGP. But there is nothing more or nothing less because, as I said, he has a contract for next year. I don't think anyone in the entire paddock knows what will happen in 2025.” 

KTM is already facing a dilemma with its rider contracts as Moto2 title contender eyes a move into the MotoGP class for 2024. As it stands, Jack Miller, Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro are all signed for 2024, while Augusto Fernandez is on a 1+1 deal, in so much as has performance clauses that will activate an extension if they are met.