Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez’s former MotoGP rival Andrea Dovizioso has highlighted what MotoGP riders are now realising about the Spaniard that he always knew through his years battling him.
Dovizioso is one of the many riders who went up against Marquez during the prime of his career, putting up championship battles against the then-Honda rider between 2017 and 2019, to no avail.
With 15 Grand Prix victories and 62 podiums to his name over a 14-year career in the premier class, the Italian rider was unfortunate to come up against such a dominant opponent in Marquez.
In a testament to their rivalry, Marquez left Dovizioso ‘angry’ following a battle at the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix.
Locked in a title fight at the time, the pair duelled it out in Spielberg, with the 15-time Grand Prix winner securing his fourth career win less than two tenths ahead of his formidable rival.
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Andrea Dovizioso highlights how Marc Marquez’s 2025 revival has been a ‘major blow’ for MotoGP riders
Following the initial injury that kick-started his period of woes in 2020, Marquez’s chokehold over the premier class took a hiatus as he went back and forth from the track to the hospital bed.
His absence from the top of the standings allowed other riders to prosper, with there being three new world champions in the sport before he began to return to form during the 2024 season with Ducati.
Speaking to MotoGP journalist Cosimo Curatola in a sit-down interview, Dovizioso revealed the effect that the 32-year-old’s 2025 campaign has had on current riders who weren’t around to witness Marquez’s prior dominance firsthand.
“What Marc did this year killed everyone,” the former Ducati rider said. “He was so strong. At first, you can tell yourself it for a while, but then psychologically it destroys you.
“But it’s true, I was fully aware of going up against someone like that. I’m realising it more now. What we’re seeing this year is the reality.
“And that’s the bad thing for the other riders; they see what he can do, too. He’s not unbeatable; anything can happen in races. But it’s a major blow; for those who haven’t experienced it firsthand, it’s tough.”
Dovizioso previously touched upon how Marquez’s unrelenting form has affected his teammate Francesco Bagnaia during the current campaign, noting that his lack of similar struggles atop the GP25 has devastated the two-time premier class champion’s ego.
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Marc Marquez is unlikely to break his 2014 MotoGP win record following injury
After taking his tenth Grand Prix win of the season, and seventh in a row, at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August, many thought Marquez would go on to break his impressive 2014 record for the most amount of victories in a single season.
There were eight rounds of the season left following his rout at Balaton Park, and Marquez himself thought the feat could be achieved if he was able to continue with his world-beating form.
However, due to the broken collarbone he sustained at the most recent round of racing in Indonesia, it looks like the best-case result for him will be equalling his total by the time the chequered flag falls on the 2025 season at Valencia in November.
Michele Pirro will be replacing the stricken Marquez in Australia, and a replacement for the Spaniard for the following round in Malaysia is yet to be announced.
That leaves just two more rounds for Marquez to compete in if he completes the rehabilitation process prior to the penultimate round in Portugal.
However, Marquez has been warned not to rush his MotoGP comeback to save him from going through another nightmarish period that plagued him throughout the years that started the new decade.
With the championship already wrapped up, there’s no rush for him to return to action sooner than necessary.
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