Marc Marquez 'evergreen': crew chief Rigamonti reveals the secret weapon

Marc Marquez’s overwhelming victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix was the clearest proof that he is still capable of competing at the top of MotoGP. The Spanish superstar not only celebrated his 100th win, but also significantly closed the gap in the overall standings in the title fight.

Marc Marquez never ceases to amaze and deliver plot twists. When he seems destined for decline due to crashes, injuries, and a string of surgeries, the reigning MotoGP champion proves everyone wrong and returns to winning ways. Pole position and a double victory at Balaton Park say a lot about his intent to lay hands on a tenth world title, despite undergoing two surgeries just a few weeks ago. Extreme conditions that would have sidelined any rider for an entire season—but not Marc...

It was an astonishing return for the factory Ducati rider, just a month after the seventh surgery on his battered right shoulder. The impact of the injury suffered in Indonesia in 2025 was so severe that at the start of the season he was struggling even in left-hand corners. Not everything is resolved, but Marquez’s tenacity is unprecedented in MotoGP history. The lack of muscle strength will continue to be an obstacle in the upcoming races at Brno and Assen, and yet he remains the favorite. Much to the amazement not only of the fans, but also of the technicians in the garage who follow his progress in the championship step by step.

Crew chief Marco Rigamonti is riding an emotional and sporting roller coaster alongside the multi-time champion. He also highlights a certain wisdom in managing his effort over a Grand Prix weekend. As happened in Hungary last week: "In FP1 and FP2 he did 20 laps, but he pushed for only 4–6 laps," the Italian engineer told Autosport. "And maybe on one lap he pushed only in certain corners to understand the bike’s limit."

At the moment, Marc Marquez can’t push at 100% as he has accustomed us to, or as he did in his best moments. Yet he continues to make the difference against his rivals, managing to hold his own against an Aprilia that is currently a step ahead of the Ducati GP26. The last eight months haven’t been easy for the Cervera phenomenon. Just a week after clinching his ninth world title and completing an epic comeback from the injuries suffered at Jerez in 2020, he found himself back in the operating room for another shoulder fracture. Everything was supposed to be resolved by the start of the 2026 MotoGP season. Instead, he had to return to surgery after a crash at Le Mans, skipped the Catalan GP, then came back at Mugello and won in Hungary.

Through all these ups and downs, Marco Rigamonti has stood by Marc Marquez without ever losing heart. "At the beginning of the year, he realized he wasn’t able to maintain constant strength," the crew chief recounted. "At Jerez he realized something wasn’t right... So he decided to see the doctor and understood what the problem in his arm was."

Returning at the Italian GP, the #93 immediately showed that the broken piece inside his arm was causing plenty of issues. Once it was removed, he showcased his timeless talent on a very physically demanding track. At Balaton Park he made the most of the prevalence of left-hand corners to get back to the front of the pack. The problem isn’t definitively solved yet; time will be needed to return to optimal condition.

Perhaps after the summer break, with due caution. "It’s hard to know because he himself says that after every injury you never really know the new 100% and how it compares to the previous 100%," Rigamonti added. "We don’t know if, after three or four months of full training and complete recovery, he’ll be in the same condition as last year or not. And we don’t know if he’ll be able to win 14 races in a row like last year, because our rivals are improving."

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