Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez heads into the 2026 MotoGP season targeting an eighth premier-class title. That would see him surpass Valentino Rossi as the most successful rider of the modern era.
While Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi is seen as a threat to Marquez, the Spaniard is still the overwhelming favourite for the title. The regulations remain virtually the same and he dominated the 2025 season.
Indeed, Marquez’s injury absence in the final rounds may have created a somewhat misleading picture of Aprilia’s progress. Four of Bezzecchi’s six wins came without the world champion on the grid.
The only riders to beat a fully-fit Marc Marquez in MotoGP 🤝
What’s more, a fully-fit Marquez has only been beaten twice in his MotoGP career. He lost out to Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo in 2015, and then lacked the tools to compete in 2024 when he rode a year-old Ducati at Gresini.
Alberto Puig thinks Marc Marquez would have dominated 2020 championship
Marquez’s bulletproof injury record in his first seven MotoGP seasons helped sustain his dominance. But at the start of 2020, he broke his arm in a crash at Jerez.
The accident ultimately led to four surgeries, the last of which took place in 2022.
Speaking on DAZN’s ‘Volver’ documentary, Honda boss Alberto Puig suggested that Marquez would have ‘dominated the championship’ without the Jerez crash. Suzuki’s Joan Mir, who now represents the Japanese manufacturer, won the title despite taking just one Grand Prix victory.
Fill in the blank: Marc Marquez would have won _ titles without his arm injury
Marquez’s teammate and brother Alex finished 14th in the championship with just two podium finishes. Replacement Stefan Bradl was 19th.
“That year, he would have won, he would have dominated the championship, again,” Puig said. “He was very fast, much faster than the rest. Honestly, I’m not saying this for nothing, I think it was common knowledge.”
Honda bosses praised for their reaction to Marc Marquez injuries
With Marquez unable to stay healthy for an extended period, Honda lost their way in the years that followed.
Before 2020, they were on a run of eight constructors’ titles in nine years; since then, they’ve finished no higher than fourth.
Even with their dominance unravelling and their franchise rider hurt, Puig says Honda’s bosses conducted themselves admirably.
“Honda was very supportive at that time,” he recalled. “They understood the situation completely, they didn’t raise any objections or objections or put up any resistance. Honda really stepped up.”
Marquez may consider rejoining Honda in 2027. Perhaps he will feel his journey at Ducati is complete if he wins his 10th Grand Prix title this year, enabling him to finish his career at his spiritual home.
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