Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is in the midst of yet another MotoGP injury setback, and pundit Andrea Dovizioso fears the seven-time premier class world champion may simply ‘have to retire’ if his situation doesn’t improve.
Following his brutal crash during the Le Mans Sprint race last weekend, Marquez confirmed that he would be undergoing a surgical procedure to fix a broken screw in his right arm, on top of an operation to sort the fractured fifth metatarsal he sustained at the French GP.
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It marked the eighth occasion that the factory Ducati star went under the knife since the beginning of his right arm injury troubles at the start of the 2020 campaign.
As such, Marquez no longer knows what 100% fitness looks like for him, which has raised questions over the amount of time that he has left competing in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
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Andrea Dovizioso thinks Marc Marquez will ‘have to retire’ if fitness ‘doesn’t improve’
During the inaugural episode of Andrea Dovizioso’s MotoGP podcast, the former rider offered his thoughts on Marquez’s return to full fitness following yet another injury setback for the reigning world champion.
Dovizioso has already ruled Marquez out of the title fight this year, given the deficit he already holds to the championship leaders, paired with his absence from the upcoming race weekend.
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Asked if he thinks the Spaniard would be able to return to the best of his abilities in MotoGP, Dovizioso offered a damning verdict, starting with a look back at his title-winning campaign in 2025.
“Last year he managed to find solutions to motivate himself in many other situations,” the Italian started. “But he wasn’t at 100%. Now he’s even further behind. He’ll probably manage to improve it, but I’m speaking as a fan.
“As a fan, watching the races and seeing the battle is what I’m after. So if he comes back more competitive than he is now, then he can really have a go at winning a championship.
“Not this year, but try to win a championship, give it a proper go. If the situation doesn’t improve, I think he’ll reach the point where he’ll have to retire.”
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Andrea Dovizioso elaborates on why he thinks Marc Marquez wasn’t ‘superior’ in 2025
Later on in his comments about Marquez during the podcast, Dovizioso elaborated on his verdict regarding Marquez not being superior in 2025 during his assessment of Aprilia’s domination this season.
“They aren’t clearly superior, but that’s also because being clearly superior in today’s MotoGP is impossible. Just like last year, Marc wasn’t that superior.
“He wasn’t that far ahead; it was touch and go most of the time, but he managed to create that impression, even on his rivals. And as a result, that small difference at the start of the year gradually grows, even if it isn’t real.
“Because when you have to push your limits, your precision makes the difference. It’s just that once that happens, it gets reinforced, then reinforced again. Your perception grows so much that it isn’t actually that big a deal, but it becomes a reality in your head.”
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