Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez enjoyed one of the most successful campaigns of his career in 2025 and isn’t willing to stop there.
His charge was thwarted by an accident late in the season, but he’s already racing to get back to full fitness for 2026. He wants to defend his MotoGP title.
There are also questions over his future to be answered soon. Marquez has the opportunity to shop around a bit before deciding who to settle down with.
Ducati won’t be the only manufacturer interested in him, with Honda lurking and ready to make a move to bring him home.
Change my mind: Marc Marquez is the greatest Ducati rider of all time
Ducati will ‘never’ have what Honda can offer financially, but having a stronger bike will count for a lot, too.
Luigi Dall’Igna knows Marquez is an ‘alien’ and will want to keep working with him. All the while they’re a tandem, it’s hard to see them failing to win.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez reveals the ‘moment’ he will ‘realise’ he must retire from MotoGP
Marc Marquez shares the same drive to win as Mick Doohan
Marquez’s ‘most important’ trait is his intelligence, which allows him to push the boundaries beyond what his rivals can achieve.
But he also shares one trait with a five-time champion, who knew a lot about never giving up. Mick Doohan was a true fighter.
Suspension engineer Mats Larsson has now compared the two and believes that they had the same drive as each other to win.
“Marc is like Rainey, who would kill to win,” he said in Mat Oxley’s book, Marc The Magnificent. “Wayne was terrible to have around in the pit box when he got beaten, but come Monday, he was the best guy in the world. He was so focused and motivated.
“It was the same with Mick Doohan, who wanted to win every practice session. Marc is the same. You see, when he crashes, he’s up and running to get the bike going again. Marc needs it, he craves it. He’s so focused. The other guys are like spoiled brats.”
Casey Stoner sees ‘similarities’ with Marquez, and it’s a great shame that the two never occupied the same grid. Watching them fight would have been incredible.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez is now ‘attracted’ to joining Honda in 2027 but only on two conditions
Why Cal Crutchlow called Marc Marquez a ‘freak’ on a MotoGP bike
Marquez has achieved things that most riders can only dream of achieving across his career. When he retires, it’ll leave a massive hole.
Dall’Igna thinks Marquez will perform well in 2026, despite not knowing whether he’ll face any lingering limitations from his collarbone injury.
He should be helped by his natural skillset, though. Cal Crutchlow called Marquez a ‘freak’ for the way he was able to save his own bike in difficult situations.
Protecting his body is going to be a big factor next year. He can’t risk reinjuring himself, so being able to produce crazy saves could turn out to be very useful.
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