Marc Marquez: "No one will ever be able to say, 'That's why he stopped winning'

We won’t see Marc Marquez at the Valencia GP, nor at the official tests—we’ll have to wait until 2026. The reigning MotoGP World Champion is working hard; in the meantime, sponsor commitments continue. Today he was a guest of Estrella Galicia 0.0 and had the chance to talk about two topics in particular: the strong motivation behind the title he eventually won and the situation with his arm. Some details had already emerged about the condition Marquez had to live with throughout this season, but the multi-time Catalan champion clarified things, revealing further details.

Marc Marquez had already admitted that retirement crossed his mind during the long ordeal caused by the Jerez 2020 injury, compounded by the rush to return to action. And it was all too easy to label him a “finished rider,” terms many have used in recent years. But for #93 the story had to end differently, and he worked long and hard to make it happen, including a radical change: leaving Honda for Ducati. “Stepping out of my comfort zone was the hardest decision of my life,” said Marc Marquez, as reported by our colleagues at Motosan.

“My brother Alex helped me a lot. He told me it was what I needed; I listened to him, and it went well.” Second place? Certainly an option, but it wasn’t enough. “Alex would’ve won the title, which would’ve been fine, but everything was done with that [title] mindset, taking the right steps. Failure would’ve been not trying. We tried and we made it.” A matter of mentality, resilience, and a hunger for redemption. “I was coming off difficult years and wanted to be at peace with myself, so it would all be just a memory. No one will ever be able to say, ‘He didn’t win anymore because of that injury.’” he emphasized.

A situation that only came to light after the crash in Indonesia, when X-rays showed his right arm. These are screws that were inserted when he underwent surgery first in 2019, then in 2020, as the MotoGP champion himself pointed out. “Only the doctors and I know what’s in this arm,” said Marc Marquez. “When I crashed in Indonesia, they took an X-ray and it showed up. I raced like that all year: I lived with one bent screw and one broken.” But he’s already looking to 2026: “I want people to talk more about my results than about how I’m doing.” Also because the stated goal is just one: “Fight for the title, no matter what.”