Repsol became the title sponsor of the Honda factory team in 1995, began one of the most enduring partnerships in MotoGP and spawned 15 rider world titles distributed among Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez.
Rumors have surfaced in the paddock over the past few weeks suggesting Repsol could end its partnership with Honda in 2021.
Energy drink giant Red Bull has been said to be the title sponsor, although the company’s branding is already prominent at the RC213V as a secondary partner.
Red Bull is currently also the title sponsor of the factory KTM squad and counts Marquez among its most prominent athletes.
All of this made the Red Bull rumors suspicious.
Motorsport.com can now confirm that Honda and Repsol will continue their partnership with a new two-year deal that runs immediately through the end of 2022.
Honda has had a tough 2020 season, with reigning world champion Marquez sidelined with an arm injury since the Spanish Grand Prix.
Marquez will continue to watch the Aragon GP from the sidelines this weekend, with HRC test driver Stefan Bradl representing again.
Although his chances were slim he could have made a comeback this weekend, Marquez’s continued absence means he can’t mathematically win the 2020 MotoGP title now.
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Honda’s first podium of the campaign came last weekend at the French GP when Marc’s rookie brother Alex Marquez led his RC213V from 18th on the grid to second.
HRC’s top runner is currently LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami on the one-year-old Honda in fifth place overall, 34 points behind the championship leader.
In other sponsorship news, the Tech 3 roster will lose its Red Bull sponsorship for the 2021 season.
Herve Poncharal’s team took over the Austrian brand when it became the KTM satellite team, having previously been supported by Monster Energy while operating Yamaha machines.
Tech 3 will continue to use KTMs next year, although it’s unclear whether that loss of sponsors will force the team to work with another manufacturer in 2022.