It's time for farewells at Red Bull. We're not talking about the Formula 1 and Checo Perez being replaced by Liam Lawson, the Milton Keynes-based team's new driver alongside Max Verstappen.
We're talking about the separation between Marc Marquez and the historic sponsor that has accompanied the eight-time world champion for much of his career.
It was a painful but inevitable decision, due to the competition between the Austrian energy drink manufacturer and Monster Energy, sponsor of the official Ducati team.
A conflict of interest that, in the past, had already forced Enea Bastianini to forgo Red Bull's sponsorship, in order to wear Ducati red in 2023.
Host of the program, Sport & Talk aus dem Hangar 7, along with other great athletes, such as Verstappen and tennis player Dominic Thiem, Marquez himself made his farewell to the Austrian brand - to which he had been tied since 2008 - official for the end of the year.
"This is the last appointment. Ducati now has another sponsor, so we can't continue," he admitted in the Salzburg studio.
"Out of respect for Red Bull, however, I won't have a personal sponsor. I'd like to thank the Red Bull family, and I hope we'll remain friends!"
The road to success is also made of sacrifices, and Marc has fully realized this in recent years.
After giving up the lavish salary Honda gave him, in order to become competitive again on the Gresin team's Desmosedici, the rider from Cervera is going to have to deprive himself of one of his most important sponsors so that he can be in the ideal condition to go after at least one more World Championship title.
"I'm joining the World Champion team. I already feel the pressure, but I wanted it! I said I had to leave my comfort zone in Honda.
Now I had the opportunity, and I took it," the 31-year-old said, talking about his new challenge ahead. "Next year. I'll have to take a different approach.
In Honda, of course, I was number one, and new riders were always coming in to try to compete with me. Now, I'm going to a new team.
Pecco has won a lot in the last few years. I'm trying to learn from him but, of course, I also want to win. I think the Ducati garage is now the best place to go after the World Championship victory."
