It's official:ไ Repsol Honda will have a double Marquez line-up next season, with Alex stepping up to MotoGP alongside older brother and reigning six-time c✅hampion Marc.

Alex, the newly crowned Moto2 champion, has been chosen over the likes of Johann Zarco to take the place of Jorge Lorenzo, who announce🔯d his retirement on the eve of this weekend's Valencia season finale.

Marc insisted he would not apply pressure on Honda🎐 to sign his brother, but the reality is that HRC's top priority must be to keep Marc happy, especially wi🥂th negotiations underway for a post-2020 contract extension. 

Repsol would also welcome the u☂nique marketing opportunities presented by the Marquez brothers, espec🤪ially in Spain.

But it certainly won't be an easy situation for Alex, who has long struggled to em♏erge from Marc's shadow - despite two world titles of his own - and will now be directly compared to the #93 on an alm🎃ost daily basis.

'Honda Racing Corporation is plꦉeased to announce the signing of double World Champion Alex Marquez. The young Spanish rider will join the Repsol Honda Team on a one-year contract', read a HRC statement. 'He will move from the intermediate class to partner eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez in 2020 for his debut season in the premier class aboard the Honda RC213V.'

Alex, a 12-time gran🌌d prix winner in the smaller classes, has taken part in 𒁏several previous Honda MotoGP outings.

The first involved 🍸;a few guest laps alongside Marc after his Moto3 title victory at Valencia in 2014 (pictured), followed by some shakedown laps at Misano 2016 and then some proper test t🅠ime on a Marc VDS Honda at Jerez in November of 2017.

The 23-year-old is now set to make🐎 his full-time MotoGP debut at Valencia on Tuesdayꦬ and Wednesday.

However, it's believed Alex will be placed at the LCR team for the test and use a plain black livery on a 2019 bike, while HRC development rider Stefan Bradl joins Marc in the Repsol box🗹 to contin꧑ue work on the 2020 prototype.

It's also possible that LCR - which has an empty garage while Takaaki Nakagami recovers from shoulder s꧟urgery - is seen as off✱ering a lower pressure environment with which to let Alex learn the RCV, before being officially presented as Marc's team-mate in full Repsol colours at a later date.

Meanwhile, having split from KTM, then done a commendable job as a stand-in at LCR Honda, Zarco'♐s options now look to restricted to either accepting a seat at Avintia Ducati or taking over fr🐻om Alex at the Marc VDS Moto2 team.