Carmelo Ezpeleta was ‘sure’ about Marc Marquez’s MotoGP future after hearing from his arm surgeons

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Marc Marquez is closing in on the MotoGP world championship. Depending on the result at the Catalan Grand Prix this weekend, he may have the opportunity to seal the title at Misano.

This has long appeared a foregone conclusion, with Marquez currently in the midst of a seven-race winning streak (or 14 including Sprints) to take his season tally to 10. No other rider has won more than once.

But Marquez may still be emotional when his coronation arrives. It has been six years since his last title with Honda, and the seasons afterwards were wrecked by injury.

Marquez suffered a severe arm injury at the 2020 Spanish GP and aggravated it a week later. He would miss the following season and undergo three surgeries within the next year or so.

None of those operations fixed the problem, and in the same period, he broke other bones and suffered a recurrence of his diplopia.

Carmelo Ezpeleta never lost faith in Marc Marquez’s MotoGP comeback

Finally, having left Honda to join Gresini in 2024, Marquez was able to take a full part in the season. The most extensive procedure yet finally allowed him to regain something resembling his best form.

Speaking to outlets including Mundo Deportivo, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said he never doubted that Marquez would win again, even if the rider himself had that fear. He was following the medical updates closely.

While Ezpeleta implicitly blocked Jorge Martin from competing in the 2025 championship if he didn’t solve his contract dispute with Aprilia, he saluted the Ant of Cervera for having the courage to break his Honda deal. Marquez earns significantly less money at Ducati.

“I was sure Marc would make it,” Ezpeleta said. “I followed the progression of his injuries with him and how he was doing. I saw what the doctors were saying and thought he’d do it.

“He’s handled the whole thing very well since then. A rider who decides to end a contract that earned him a lot of money to go to a place that was important to him has a clear decision. And when you’re that clear, that’s because you can do it.”

Has Marc Marquez’s 2025 season been too easy? Dorna don’t agree

Luigi Dall’Igna didn’t want Ducati to win too easily, because that comes with penalties – both in terms of popularity and concessions status. But the combination of the grid’s most successful rider and the bike that has been dominant for years has produced predictable results.

Still, at this stage of the season, the Ducati only looks untouchable in Marquez’s hands. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and KTM’s Pedro Acosta have climbed into the top five in the championship, now able to beat most of the Desmosedici riders consistently.

But they have been nothing more than an inconvenience for Marquez at this stage. The championship could be settled with six rounds remaining.

Ezpeleta rubbished suggestions that Marquez will win the title ‘too soon’. While the series has lacked a genuine title fight, the boss wants an ‘extraordinary’ achievement to be adequately recognised.