Marc Marquez had to give up his main personal sponsor, Red Bull, to fulfil his plan of joining the factory Ducati team, which is associated with Monster, a direct competitor of the Austrian beverage manufacturer.
“Out of respect for Red Bull, I won’t have a personal sponsor. I want to thank the Red Bull family and hope we continue to be friends,” Marquez said in December on Red Bull-owned Austrian television channel Servus TV.
Marquez wore the Monster logo on his cap and racing overalls during the Ducati team presentation last Monday. Monster’s claw is also present on the bike. In fact, Monster has gained a bit more presence this year, especially on the Desmosedici GP25, where it appears on the forks in addition to the keel.
Ducati’s standard contract requires its riders to wear the Californian beverage brand on the bikes, overalls, and cap during grand prix events and promotional activities linked to the team.
Monster approached Marquez, offering him a contract identical to the one Francesco Bagnaia has signed. However, the Spaniard declined the offer out of loyalty to Red Bull, with which he hopes to resume the relationship when the opportunity arises. This doesn’t seem likely to happen in the short term, as Monster extended its alliance with Ducati and increased its financial contribution to the project.
Motorsport.com understands that the Borgo Panigale manufacturer was waiting for a call from Red Bull once the six-time world champion’s arrival for 2025 was confirmed. However, the Austrian company did not move in that direction until after the summer, when it was already too late.
The only space where Marquez can visibly place his sponsors is on part of the helmet, whose brand (Shoei) he can display on the upper part of the racing suit, where he has also placed a small Estrella Galicia badge and the name of his agency, Vertical, at the bottom.
This talent representation company manages the careers of other riders, such as Alex Marquez and youngster Maximo Quiles, as well as some artists, influencers, and celebrities, including Gemma Pinto, a model and Marc Marquez’s partner.
On the helmet, due to the conflict of interests that prevented Red Bull’s presence, Marquez has chosen to place another of his important personal sponsors. The logo of Estrella Galicia’s non-alcoholic beer variant (EG 0.0) appears on the upper part of the nape. The front and jaw area, a ‘property’ of Ducati, displays Lenovo, the main sponsor of the structure.
EG also occupies a strip at the top of the visor, where another rider sponsor, Insta360 appears at the bottom. Vertical also appears in the visor hinge area, while Ducati has placed one of its historic sponsors, Parmacotto, a cooked ham manufacturer, on the chin.
New personal sponsors
Although Marquez can only display four of his personal sponsors when on track (Shoei, Estrella Galicia, Insta360, and the sports equipment brand Alpinestars), the rider has a long list of companies associated with his personal image, such as Audi, La Roche Posay (cosmetics), and Mondraker (bicycles).
In a few days, he is expected to announce “a powerful Spanish personal sponsor”, a brand that, although it cannot appear on the rider’s equipment or helmet for now, already wants to accompany him immediately.
After the presentation in Madonna di Campiglio, where the bike, racing suit, and helmet with all sponsors were seen for the first time, some details on Marquez’s side remain to be revealed, such as which brand he will carry on the drink bottle in the garage, paddock, and podium, although it is likely to be EG.
What he won’t be able to wear on circuits or public appearances are Oakley sunglasses. During the event at the Dolomites ski resort, Marquez was seen skiing with a screen from one of Carrera’s sports brands (Smith), a Ducati partner, with which the Spaniard native has no contract.
