Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is in a position to break multiple MotoGP records in 2026, as he returns for a second bite of the cherry with Ducati.
The seven-time champion was untouchable at his best last year, as he stormed the field and reminded them exactly why he’s considered one of the greatest of all time.
Now the oldest MotoGP champion in history, he is ready to come back from a gruelling collarbone injury and extend that record in partnership with Ducati over the next 12 months.
Who knows where the Borgo Panigale outfit will be when the new regulations start in 2027, making the upcoming season even more important for Marquez.
Prove me wrong: Marc Marquez’s risk-taking will cost him the 2026 MotoGP title
MotoGP needs a ‘leader’ like Marquez, according to CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. He’s the sort of name that draws viewers in from far and wide.
However, Marquez’s dominance has shown what’s wrong with MotoGP and how engineers are now the most valuable commodity in the premier class. The championship has evolved.
READ MORE: How Marc Marquez’s route to seven MotoGP world championships compares with Valentino Rossi
Marc Marquez was ‘descending into hell’ before he learned how to lose ahead of MotoGP debut
Ducati are willing to wait before signing Marquez for 2027 and beyond, which is a bit of a surprise stance. One would expect that they would snap him up at the first opportunity.
But the team still has faith in Francesco Bagnaia returning to form, and would clearly like to compare their two riders moving forward. Marquez has become accustomed to losing, but not in red.
It’s a skill that he actually had to develop in the junior categories, long before reaching MotoGP. His first 125cc mechanic, Alvar Garriga, detailed how losing was a problem for him in his younger days.
“Marc spent the whole day crying if he lost,” he said in Mat Oxley’s Marc The Magnificent biography. “There was no way to console him. It was impossible. For Marc, finishing second was like descending into hell. And the worst part was that he had to get used to losing.
“I told him, ‘OK, I accept that for you this isn’t a game, but Marc, in sport you win, and you lose, I just want you to understand that.’ But he never resigned himself to losing. Never.”
Marquez has always taken a ‘risky’ approach, and it’s a big reason why he has won so much. Even though he risks hurting himself, he won’t throw caution to the wind in 2026.
READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo’s father makes ‘bored’ admission after watching Marc Marquez in 2025
How did Marc Marquez perform in Moto3 despite hating to lose?
After spending just three years in the 125cc category between 2008 and 2010, Marquez would spend the next two seasons chasing a Moto2 title. It says a lot about how successful he was on the smaller bikes.
He was 15 when he made his debut on a 125cc bike in 2008, and already, there were signs that he could be a deadly competitor.
He claimed a podium during his first season, missing out on victory by just six seconds at the British Grand Prix.
He matched that in 2009, with a podium at his home race in Jerez, before going on to dominate in 2010. At one stage, he had won 10 of the last 13 races.
It seems that after spending his first few campaigns learning to lose, he kicked into gear and obliterated his opposition. It meant that he didn’t have to make such adjustments when he finally arrived in MotoGP.
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