HRC boss Livio Suppo has played down talk of early contract negotiations with Marc Marquez, saying that although both parties want to remain together, it is too early in the season.

Both Marquez and team-mate Dani Pedrosa will be out of contract at the end of this season and it seems more than likely the younger of the two Spaniards will remain but HRC are openly chasing Jorge Lorenzo for the next two years.

“Marc likes Honda and we like him, but it’s really early to speak about a contract. My feeling is that it will be natural sooner or later, but at the moment nothing is done,” said Suppo.

“If you think there are really negotiations going on already, well there are not. Our priority is to keep him on board and his priority is to stay with Honda, so that’s the situation.

“It’s only the second race of the year so it’s really early to speak about negotiations. Of course with Marc he is young, he is a Honda rider and we would like to keep him for the future but real negotiations have not started.”