Marc Marquez’s impossible request: "The doctors said no"

Marc Marquez was able to enjoy the final Grand Prix of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship, though not in the way he had hoped due to injury. A year in which he was the undisputed main protagonist, clinching the world title with five races to spare. Then the Mandalika crash knocked him out again, forcing him to undergo another operation.

In Valencia, the nine-time world champion paid a visit to the Ducati garage to wrap up the season in the best way and take a close look at the first updates on the Desmosedici GP26. Marc arrived at the Ricardo Tormo on Friday morning and headed straight into the Red garage. The team welcomed him with big smiles, even joking about the greeting, shaking his injured arm. One team member warned: "But don’t touch his shoulder." Marquez replied: "It’s fine, they won’t touch me there, they know my limits."

The technical staff who followed him this MotoGP season noticed something different about him and asked if he had lost weight. He confirmed: "Yes, I’ve lost 3 kilos, and that’s better for the bike. Even if it moves around more now. The problem is if I brake too late, I’ll break it. Plus, I had my arm in a sling until Monday."

Speaking of his arm, a Ducati engineer joked with him, saying: "You’ve got a muscular arm, but you went shopping!" (laughing). The new MotoGP champion said he found out about the BMW M Award while grocery shopping at the supermarket with his girlfriend Gemma. "I ended up carrying the groceries with the other hand."

Ducati’s #93 wanted to take part in Tuesday’s test in Valencia, but the doctors denied him permission. "I asked the doctors to let me do the test, they said no, because if I fell, it could have been a disaster. I couldn’t be on the bike without thinking, without worrying about my life. It happened in 2020 when I broke my humerus, and it’s still in there. They’ve already told me; since I have it now, it’s normal. Let’s see when I’m 50; I’m sure they’ll have invented other technology, and we’ll see."

Saturday, November 22 will be a big celebration in Cervera, together with his brother Alex Marquez, MotoGP runner-up. A historic day for the two of them... "It will be a crazy street party. First there’ll be a show, then food, and then a party; it’s all organized."