Opinion: Marc Marquez's MotoGP Career Successes Are Built on Him Rising to His Own Challenges
07 October 2025Growing up in a household with a huge Valentino Rossi fan, my only form of rebellion as a teenager was vocally supporting each of Rossi’s rivals. But even I knew the limit to this game, and that limit had a name - Marc Marquez (especially after 2015). So this article isn’t from the perspective of a long-time Marquez fan, but it’s also definitely not from the perspective of a Marquez hater. I’m a firm believer that fans shouldn’t boo riders on the podium, or celebrate when they crash, and that whilst you don’t have to cheer for every rider, they all deserve respect. Whilst I haven’t been the closest follower of Marquez’s career, I have a huge amount of appreciation for what he brings to MotoGP.
When I started watching MotoGP back in 2005, the name ‘Marc Marquez’ was unfamiliar to me. He didn’t exist in the Motorcycle Grand Prix world yet, and I had no idea of the impact he would have - how he would change the sport, and challenge the very best, including himself.
Several years later though, I had definitely heard of Marc Marquez.
Many were excited when Marquez arrived in the MotoGP paddock in 2013. The rookie had deservedly caught the attention of many through his 125cc and Moto2 years, and his timings and simulations in pre-season testing were impressive.
Expectations were high.
He surpassed them.
Marquez achieved a podium finish in his first ever MotoGP race, and in his second MotoGP race, at the Circuit of the Americas - a circuit new to the MotoGP calendar for 2013, he achieved his first victory in the premier class.
At the final race weekend of the season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, after only eighteen races as a MotoGP rider, Marc Marquez became the 2013 MotoGP World Champion. He won six of those eighteen races, and finished on the podium an additional ten times. In fact, the only two times he didn’t finish on the podium during his rookie MotoGP season were a DNF at the Italian Grand Prix, and a disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix for not following a temporary rule change.
I remember being so incredibly shocked by his achievements in his rookie year in MotoGP - this teenager had joined the grid and was fighting (and beating) incredible names in the sport, the riders who were often regarded as “The Aliens” for being seemingly untouchable in the premier class - Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, and Valentino Rossi. The fourth of this elite group of MotoGP riders, Casey Stoner, had retired from Grand Prix racing at the end of 2012, and it was Marc Marquez who had replaced him at the Repsol Honda Team. Marquez could have seen this as an overwhelming and daunting experience, but instead he tasked himself with proving he was worthy of taking over from a double MotoGP World Champion. He did exactly that, and cemented himself as the new fourth Alien on the MotoGP grid.
The 2014 MotoGP season saw Marquez win 13 of the 18 races, taking the title yet again, finishing 67 points ahead of nearest rival, Valentino Rossi. Regarding Marc Marquez and the 2015 World Championship, the less said the better - the title was won by Jorge Lorenzo, with Marquez finishing 3rd, but the season is most known for igniting the fierce rivalry between Marquez and Rossi that is still present amongst fans in 2025.
In 2016 though, Marc Marquez was back on top. He took the 2016, 2017, and 2018 titles after well-fought battles with Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, and Jorge Lorenzo. 2019 was arguably the most successful in Marquez’s career - out of nineteen rounds, he won twelve, and came 2nd in six. His one DNF of the season came at the Circuit of the Americas, where he crashed out of the lead. Marquez finished the season 151 points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso in 2nd.
At this point, Marquez had won six MotoGP World Championships, four of them back-to-back. He was setting new records and achieving new heights. I would never claim that Marquez took his achievements for granted - he clearly celebrated every win, along with his team. By this point in his career though, victories weren’t just frequent, they were expected.
Marc Marquez seemed truly unstoppable.
Then came the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix.
During the opening round of the 2020 season in Jerez, a massive highside saw Marquez fracture his right humerus. The camera shots of him sitting with the Marshalls after the crash, with his helmet half removed, screaming in agony, were tough to watch. As a fan of the sport, you know crashes are inevitable, but you always hope the riders get through them unscathed. This was far from the case for Marquez. The injury saw him miss the rest of the 2020 season - he had surgery on his arm in the days after the accident, but an attempted return a few days later for the Andalusian Grand Prix was cancelled following extreme pain. The injury was worse than Marquez wanted to admit, and complications meant that he required significantly more care and recovery time than he wanted to believe.
Everyone knew Marc Marquez pushed to the absolute limit on-track, but it was time for the eight-time World Champion to channel that drive and determination into healing and recovery. The interviews and documentaries that focus on this period of Marquez’s life give great insight into what he was going through, but it’s impossible to truly comprehend the extent of the physical and mental battles he was undertaking not only when he was forced to stay away from racing to recover, but also when he returned and was still experiencing pain and complications.
Marquez didn’t race again in MotoGP until the third round of the 2021 season. He managed three wins, but had his lowest finish of 7th in the World Championship standings, and chose to miss the last two rounds to focus on rehabilitation. 2022 saw Marquez miss eight races, as he underwent surgery to correct a rotation in his arm. He was also sidelined after a crash at the Grand Prix of Indonesia saw him diagnosed with double vision - a condition he had previously had surgery for during his time in Moto2. It became obvious during this season that the Honda riders were struggling, but in 2023 Marquez’s frustrations became more prominent. The decline in form for Honda, combined with Marquez once again missing races due to injury, resulted in Marquez achieving just one Grand Prix podium throughout the season, and it was clear Marquez wasn’t happy. He has since admitted that he contemplated retirement, but something in him told him to try and find a way to continue.
I firmly believe that Alex Marquez is somewhat of an unsung hero in this story - the rider who has always been known in the world of motorcycle racing as the younger brother of Marc, who has achieved great things through his own talent, but has been the target of accusations that he rode his brother’s coattails to get a career in MotoGP (a ridiculous thing to say about somebody who has won both a Moto3 and Moto2 World Championship).
Whilst Marc was recovering, Alex was on the MotoGP grid, and was subjected to regular questions surrounding his brother’s recovery, often without many questions being asked about his own career. Struggling during his time with the LCR Honda Castrol team, contemplating his own future in the sport, but forced by many to instead talk about his brother, Alex Marquez signed with the Gresini Racing MotoGP team for 2023, and this is arguably what changed everything.
2023 saw Alex Marquez fall in love with racing again, in-part fuelled by the team culture created by Gresini’s Team Principal Nadia Padovani. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez gave himself a target of one year to prove that he could still be competitive in MotoGP - if he wasn’t, it was likely he would retire. It wasn’t about loyalty anymore, or money, it was all about proving to himself that he could still do it. To attempt this challenge properly though, he had to be on the most competitive bike.
After years of loyalty to Honda, Marc Marquez parted ways with the manufacturer. For the 2024 season, he would be riding a Ducati. Supported by his brother, he made the decision to sign with the Gresini Racing MotoGP team.
The 2024 MotoGP season began, and four rounds in, Marc Marquez achieved his first Grand Prix podium with Ducati at the Spanish Grand Prix. He celebrated the 2nd place finish as if it was a title-winning victory, and it was clear just how much it meant to him to be back towards the front of a race. Then later in the season, at MotorLand Aragón, Marquez secured his first MotoGP victory in 1043 days, and more energetic celebrations followed (while many are critical of Marc Marquez’s dancing, I enjoy seeing the displays of unashamed joy). Two further Grand Prix wins in 2024 proved to Marquez that Aragón wasn’t a fluke. He finished the season in 3rd, but was far removed from the title fight between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.
Moving up to the Ducati Lenovo team for 2025, with two-time MotoGP World Champion Bagnaia as his teammate, Marquez’s goal was simple - be in the fight for the title. Most people were sure he would definitely be capable of regularly fighting for victories, but were cautious about predicting anything more. Afterall, he’s older now, he’s had such severe injuries, and he would be on a different bike, with a different team.
But he’s also Marc Marquez.
Whilst his journey to the 2025 World Championship title wasn’t perfect, with crashes at the Grand Prix of the Americas and the Grand Prix of Spain showing fans even he isn’t immune to making mistakes, Marquez’s form was incredible. Winning eleven Grands Prix and 14 Sprints, accumulating a record 541 points, Marquez secured the 2025 MotoGP World Championship at the Grand Prix of Japan, with five rounds remaining. Marquez challenged himself to fight for the title, and the celebrations at the Mobility Resort Motegi when he became a MotoGP World Champion for the seventh time showed just how much this achievement meant to him. I found myself getting emotional too, seeing a rider so full of happiness, relief, and gratitude, thinking about the journey from Jerez 2020 to Motegi 2025. He had completed the biggest challenge he had set himself, and surpassed even his own expectations.
So how will Marc Marquez seek to challenge himself now? Well, he’s one World Championship title away from equalling Giacomo Agostini’s record of eight premier class titles. Whilst the theme of his Championship celebrations this year was “More Than a Number”, reaching and potentially surpassing this target will definitely be on his mind, even if he doesn’t share this publicly.
For MotoGP as an organisation, this is great news - the notion that Marquez could break even more records, and send the story of his career to an even more impressive level is something that elevates the sport to new levels of popularity.
Marquez is also continuing to serve as inspiration for young riders - watch any video of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup riders talking about their motorcycle racing idols, and Marquez will be mentioned on numerous occasions.
For Marquez’s opponents, they are forced to keep reaching that bit further, challenging themselves to consistently improve their performances, to learn from him, and capitalise on those moments where Marquez does make mistakes, or when they have a bit more to give. If you’re looking for a clear example of how Marquez’s strong form doesn’t lead to him inevitably winning, look at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone - the last eleven Grands Prix have seen eleven different winners, with Marc last taking victory there back in 2014. Even during his run of Championships in the late-2010s, Marquez wasn’t winning everything.
Fans of Marc Marquez who have stuck with him throughout those difficult years have seen a huge emotional payoff, and get to celebrate their favourite rider being World Champion once again. They will of course be rooting for him in 2026, hoping he can equal Agostini’s record. Fans of MotoGP in general have been treated to some exceptional racecraft from Marquez, as well as the riders battling him during Grands Prix and Sprints, and that shows no signs of stopping next season.
Marc Marquez’s 2025 World Championship has been an extraordinary comeback. His story from 2020 up to now has been a lesson in determination, strength, and passion, as well as never taking things for granted. At key points in his career, Marc Marquez has set himself challenges, and he has risen to the occasion every time.
At the height of his success in the 2010s, he felt invincible.
He’s not invincible, but he is Marc Marquez.
Article by: Lu - Motorsport Writer and Content Creator
