Marco Bezzecchi
The longer Marc Marquez leaves it before daring to get back on a premier class motorcycle, the better for his career.
Proper healing and rest are going to be the main factors in any successful MotoGP title defence ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Ducati didn’t plan to lose their superstar rider with four races to go in 2025, but fortunately for them, they had already wrapped up all the titles.
Despite having six weeks to heal a broken collarbone and damaged ligaments, Marquez couldn’t return for the finale in Valencia and missed out on post-season testing.
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Marquez learned everyone’s names in three races at Ducati, as he poured all of his energy into winning a seventh title, drawing level with Valentino Rossi.
In good news for Ducati, Marquez has doubted leaving a ‘comfortable’ environment and looks content at his current team. With new regulations dawning for 2027, that could change, though.
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Marc Marquez hints that ‘risky’ approach to MotoGP could be his downfall in 2026
Ducati will ‘never’ have what Honda can offer Marquez, and much bigger pockets could help them in future contract negotiations.
Bringing him home doesn’t feel impossible, but leaving Ducati after just two years (and a lot of success) would be a surprise.
Defending his title in 2026 is going to be a tricky task, and one made even more difficult by his urge to take more ‘risk’ on a motorcycle, as he revealed in Mat Oxley’s book, Marc The Magnificent.
“As a rider, I like being risky,” he said. “I cannot ride without risk! Sometimes I try to ride without risks, but even during my last races with Honda, there was nothing in the game, I pushed my 100%.
“Of course, I don’t like getting injured, but it’s like when I go motocross training with my assistant, Jose. Sometimes, Jose says, ‘OK, today we will ride two seconds slower.’ I can’t because when I ride two seconds slower, I have stupid crashes because I’m not concentrated enough. I need to ride at that limit.”
Marquez knows when it will be time to retire, but he’s still quite far away from that stage in his career. At the age of 32, he still has plenty to give.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s former crew chief details exactly what his ‘most important’ MotoGP trait is
Why Marc Marquez’s rivals are so in awe of his MotoGP talents
Casey Stoner sees ‘similarities’ between himself and Marquez, including the way that they like to set their MotoGP bikes up.
It’s a shame that the two never got to be on the grid together, as it would have made for great viewing. Fans were robbed of it due to the Aussie’s premature retirement.
Even Cal Crutchlow called Marquez a ‘freak’ of nature, in the way that he’s able to prevent big crashes from happening, where other riders would fail.
Overall, his rivals and ex-enemies have a lot of respect for him and his talent. Despite all the injuries he has been through, he continues to deliver, and that’s unlikely to change soon.
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