Marc Márquez’s record comeback: is Mugello ready to boo?

Marc Marquez will reappear in Italy after missing two long races and a Sprint. Another record-time return for the seven-time MotoGP champion, suggesting he wants to fight all the way for the world title. With a 85-point gap to leader Marco Bezzecchi and 592 points up for grabs, the feat is still possible.

The reigning MotoGP champion underwent a double operation after the Sprint at Le Mans to fix shoulder issues and a foot fracture suffered in a crash on the French track. It seemed the recovery would take much longer, yet Marc Marquez amazes again and will return to the track at Mugello. The recovery is proceeding as expected and in recent days he has resumed regular training, but the track will determine his real state of health. "I’ll be on track mainly to test my feelings and physical condition on the Desmosedici GP," admitted the Cervera phenomenon.

At Mugello, Ducati wants to preserve an unbeaten run that has lasted since 2022, after Quartararo’s (Yamaha) win in 2021. It’s certainly not an easy circuit for Marc—very technical, with its sudden direction changes and breathtaking ups and downs. An excellent test to gauge the clinical situation of the nine-time world champion. "The surgeries went well, but we’ll proceed with caution and depend on the final medical checks at the circuit... Having the Ducatisti there will be an extra motivation to do well," said #93.

On June 21 last year, Marc Marquez triumphed at the Italian GP, moving into the lead of the Championship and accelerating toward the MotoGP title. It was the day of Davide Tardozzi’s defiant cry: "It’s red!" after the boos raining down from the stands. Many Italian fans still haven’t forgiven his behavior at Sepang in 2015, against Italian icon Valentino Rossi.

Will Marquez be booed again in Italy this year? That remains to be seen, but if the usual fans do, the Spanish rider’s morale won’t be affected in the slightest. In fact, he would likely be happy to get back to winning so soon after the double surgery he underwent on May 9. Recall that in his last outing at Le Mans he took pole position and set a new lap record, before the terrible crash in Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint.

The title race is far from over. Marc has lost only 14 points in the standings to Bezzecchi; the gap now stands at 85 points. That’s not little, but not too much either considering there are still 592 points up for grabs. Meanwhile, ‘Bez’ has slowed in the title chase, missing victory in the last two Grands Prix, and behind him a chasing group has solidified consisting of Jorge Martin, Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio. The MotoGP World Championship does not yet have an undisputed, clear-cut leader, and over the next 16 GPs anything can happen. There are some layouts particularly favorable to Marc Marquez, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Aragon.

Just think back to the 2025 season, with the Catalan Ducati rider racking up seven consecutive double wins. Only one question mark remains, and it concerns his health. If he feels good in riding position and doesn’t feel pain in instinctive movements, if he meets the basic requirements of the GP26... then Marc will be there. Or at least he will be a tough rival for Aprilia, which so far has enjoyed a dream start to the season. Marquez, until proven otherwise, remains Noale’s true nightmare.

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