Marquez Doesn’t Celebrate Victories: The Ducati Champion Reveals the Reason Behind It

Marc Marquez claimed the full haul of points at Motegi and is now ready to break the Mandalika curse. Not only has he never scored points in a race at the Indonesian circuit, but he has also suffered particularly serious crashes there. The reigning MotoGP champion faces a new challenge, one of considerable importance in the title race.

In 2022, he suffered a violent highside at Turn 7 during warm-up. He had qualified 15th, and the crash forced him to miss Sunday’s race. In 2023, he recorded a double DNF due to two crashes. The following year, he finished third in Saturday’s Sprint, but a mechanical problem forced him to retire from Sunday’s race. Finally, last year, he was hit from behind by Bezzecchi, and his right shoulder blade required emergency surgery. This time, things could be different. Marc Marquez arrives on the island of Lombok having won six of the last nine races.

The Ducati star did not celebrate after triumphing at Motegi. He displayed unusual composure, leaving many people puzzled. In reality, #93 explained that he wanted to avoid sudden adrenaline spikes in order to preserve his energy for the race weekends. Last year’s accident at Mandalika prompted him to revise his training schedule as well. Even more so now, as he is forced to work incredibly hard to win the battle against the two Aprilia riders. It will be a fight right down to the final Grand Prix, and every ounce of energy will be crucial to defending the MotoGP crown.

Marquez offered a clear explanation for not celebrating his victory at Motegi. "It’s not that laughing is tiring; what’s tiring is the mood swings. Winning doesn’t change my attitude, I remain focused... During Grands Prix, adrenaline rises sky-high and then suddenly drops. Emotional highs and lows require a lot of energy. Because after an adrenaline peak comes a drop. And that is precisely what I try to control, so that the line remains as stable as possible."

Maximum focus and readiness to get on the throttle. Marc Marquez is just two points behind championship leader in the standings, Jorge Martin, and wants to overtake him as soon as possible. "Everyone at Ducati is working 100% to give me what I need to fight Aprilia and for the championship. I feel good; there are still six Grands Prix remaining. Some races will go better, others worse, and it might even rain at one of them, but we’re there, fighting and putting Martin under pressure, because he is the fastest rider."

Marc explained that he has found the right balance between speed and risk management, a maturity that allows him to control races without constantly pushing to the limit. "Over the years, I’ve learned that you don’t need to win by 3 or 4 seconds; even a tenth or a thousandth is enough... I could push every lap, but it wouldn’t make sense".

The nine-time world champion does not want his past at Mandalika to influence his approach to the next Grand Prix. Despite never having finished a MotoGP race in Indonesia, Marc prefers to arrive at the track with optimism. "The mindset has to be offensive; then we’ll see. You can’t start thinking that you need to try to defend," Marquez concluded. But not before praising the work of Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall'Igna. "He is a great leader. I think he is the most successful engineer in the history of motorcycling."

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