Martin and Marquez have had their fair share of moments over recent years, creating a rivalry that is far from just simmering away in the background. The pair first came to blows at Silverstone in 2021 when Marquez made contact with the number 89, ending his race, just moments after he’d also been nudged wide by Martin. Then at Phillip Island a year later, the pair would swap paint once again, leading to Martin complaining post-race about how aggressive the #93 was.
It continued into 2023, when Marquez’s now-infamous incident with Miguel Oliveira in Portimao also saw Martin caught in the crossfire, and that ruined the Pramac rider’s Grand Prix just one day on from finishing second in the inaugural Tissot Sprint. The duo would scrap lap after lap, corner after corner for a podium spot in Le Mans a month or so later. Finally, with the Championship on the line for Martin and in Marquez’s Repsol Honda swansong in Valencia, they collided once more in the most dramatic of circumstances.
It’s all building towards a must-watch 2024 World Championship, where no doubt we’ll see the Spanish duo going toe-to-toe on more than one occasion.
