Marc Marquez shares what makes him feel like Ayrton Senna when he rides a MotoGP bike

Add as preferred source on Google

Marc Marquez is one of the greats in MotoGP with six premier class titles. He is back on top of his game in 2025 after years of struggle with injuries.

The Spaniard made an immediate impression in MotoGP when he made his debut with Honda in 2013. Valentino Rossi admitted to being worried about Marquez after his first race in Qatar as he felt he would not catch him when he started to feel comfortable.

Rossi had every right to be concerned. Marquez went on to win the championship as a rookie and a further five more titles over the next six years.

The Spaniard and Honda looked unstoppable, but it came to a grinding halt in 2020. Marquez broke his arm at the season opener in Jerez – what followed was years of turmoil with injury setbacks and the Japanese manufacturer regressing in performance.

Marquez left Honda in 2024 to join satellite Ducati team Gresini, where he began to find his feet again. He grabbed three wins and 10 podiums to finish third in the standings – his best finish since 2019.

Now with the factory Ducati team, the 32-year-old has won five of the six races so far and looks a strong candidate for the title. Marquez certainly has to be considered one of racing’s greatest talents, alongside F1 legend Ayrton Senna.

Marc Marquez feels he enters a ‘trance’ when riding in MotoGP just like Ayrton Senna did in F1

A three-time world champion, Senna is often regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time. The Brazilian’s natural driving talent, particularly in the wet conditions, put him a class above the rest of the field.

At times, Senna described how he would drive the car on instinct as he entered a ‘trance’ beyond his understanding. Speaking via Tank Slappers, Marquez admits he sometimes has the same feeling as he gains ‘extra confidence’ on his bike.

Asked whether he also enters a ‘trance’ like Senna did, he replied: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel sometimes. Because when I go in on that trance, it’s like I don’t see the risk.

“And for example in [the] Austin weekend, I was in that trance. I mean I stopped after [the] warmup and I said: ‘Hey guys, put tyres for the race and the bike is OK.’

“I mean, I was flowing. When I’m flowing and with that extra confidence, I already said that extra confidence in [the] Argentina press conference, and I mention again in Austin.

“Because I know that when I go in on that extra confidence, I don’t see the risk.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Ducati 2025 and McLaren 1988 – are there similarities between the line-ups?

Many people have already drawn comparisons to Marquez and Senna in 2025. A key reason the former’s partnership with Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati.

With eight MotoGP titles between them, the pair create arguably the greatest line-up the premier class has ever seen. It also sets up an intense battle for the championship in 2025.

Bagnaia is 11 points behind Marquez after winning the Grand Prix of the Americas. The Ducati riders are set to be fierce rivals throughout the year, just like Senna and Alain Prost were at McLaren in the late 1980s.

Marquez admits there are similarities between him and Bagnaia and Senna and Prost at McLaren. However, Ducati will hope there will be little drama between their riders on the track.