Davide Tardozzi pinpoints what MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has lost since his best days at Honda

Add as preferred source on Google

Marc Marquez has had to fight harder than anyone in the history of MotoGP to return to the top of the ladder.

After claiming his latest title at the Japanese Grand Prix, he achieved the longest gap between triumphs that has ever been seen before (six years). Ducati are a big reason behind his resurgence, but it also took a big gamble from him to leave Honda.

Marquez could have remained where he was on a lucrative contract, but he made a bold sacrifice in the pursuit of performance. Now that he’s at the top of MotoGP once more, he’s about to be the hunted rider for the first time in six years.

Even though the rest of the season won’t be too intense, Marquez faces a new Francesco Bagnaia problem, now that his teammate has found some pace in the GP25. Bagnaia has made ground ‘little by little’ and may be about to push Marquez to his limits for the first time.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s physio made a big mistake during his Honda injury nightmare and he still regrets it

Davide Tardozzi says Marc Marquez is not as ‘fast’ as he was with Honda at Ducati

Marquez’s talent has never been ‘seen before’ and may never be seen again. His accolades are one thing, but his sheer willpower and determination are another. It would have been easy for him to retire after so many surgeries in 2020, but he fought back for the sake of winning. Nothing else.

He wasn’t interested in the money, and he certainly didn’t want to waste some of his best remaining years on bikes that couldn’t win. Joining Gresini last year, he took a plunge without getting paid for it. His performances helped him get to Ducati’s factory team, and it feels like he has written his own script.

Team boss Davide Tardozzi has worked closely with him in 2025 and believes that he is the best version of himself that he has ever been, even if he doesn’t quite have the raw speed he once had with Honda.

“Marc’s period of suffering, being the intelligent person that he is, has made him mature. In my opinion, he’s even better now than before,” he told Marca.

“Maybe not as fast, because he might be less daring, but he’s more tactical and will continue to improve.”

READ MORE: Honda star Johann Zarco answers whether Marc Marquez will beat Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP titles

What will Marc Marquez choose to do with his MotoGP career after 2026?

Marquez enters the last year of his two-year Ducati deal in 2026, with no reported option for an extension on his current deal.

Supposedly, Marquez will retire when he sees a better rider. It’s unlikely that he would bow out of the sport at the end of next year, when he has shown he still has plenty to give.

With retirement being unlikely and Ducati being strong, remaining with his current team feels like the most viable option. They want him to stick around, too.

But heading into a new set of regulations, with a heavy amount of investment, there’s always an outside chance that Marquez could return to Honda and attempt to win one last title with them.

Their bike wouldn’t need to be dominant either. The Spaniard has shown countless times before that as long as his machinery is capable of fighting for podiums, he can come out on top.