Jorge Lorenzo thinks Marc Marquez could have kept winning titles on declining Honda bike

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Jorge Lorenzo says Marc Marquez’s ‘physical peak’ at Honda was so high that he could have kept winning titles, even as the team declined.

Marquez had won four championships in a row, and six in seven seasons, when he broke his arm at the first round of the 2020 season.

Between his 2013 debut and 2017, Marquez’s teammate (Dani Pedrosa) always finished in the top six of the championship. But the results on the other side of the garage thereafter are a marker of Honda’s trajectory.

Jorge Lorenzo: We won’t see Marc Marquez’s peak again

Pedrosa slipped to 11th in 2018 before deciding to retire, then the injury-affected Lorenzo placed 19th in his one and only season.

With Marquez out for the rest of 2020, his brother Alex and replacement Stefan Bradl were both mid-table. The same was true for Pol Espargaro in 2021 and 2022, while Joan Mir finished near the bottom in 2023.

And yet, despite his lack of fitness between four separate surgeries, Marquez was still competitive when he rode. He won three races in 2021 and notched eight top-six finishes in 12 outings a year after.

He even hauled the weakest bike of all, the 2023 machine, onto the podium at Motegi. That’s why Lorenzo thinks he could have extended his title run.

“Marquez is 33, and he’s been incredibly lucky with injuries for a long time, but now he has a ton of injuries under his belt, and that takes its toll,” Lorenzo told Marca. “In Marquez’s case, we saw his physical peak in 2019.

“We won’t see that peak again, having a perfect body without injuries and being able to ride equally well on both sides. No, right now he always has to compensate, always has to adjust, and that gives his rivals an advantage.

“A physically perfect Marquez, like in 2019, might not have lost any titles, not even with the Honda. So, unfortunately, in motorcycling, when you crash a lot, you get injured, and in the long run you have a greater chance of getting hurt as you get older.”

Marquez has been cleared to return at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, provided he comes through practice without issue. He missed the main race at Le Mans and the entire Catalan GP weekend after procedures on his foot and shoulder.

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Given that he was also absent for four races at the end of last year when he originally damaged his shoulder, there are fears that Marquez is past his best.

His off-colour performances in the early rounds of 2026 were at least partially down to a misaligned screw pressing on his radial nerve, but he needs a swift return to top form if he’s to have any chance of retaining his title. The gap to leader Marco Bezzecchi is already 85 points.