Marc Marquez explains his resurgence and already has Valentino Rossi in his sights

Six MotoGP titles, in 2013 and 2014 and then from 2016 to 2019. Poi “l’incubo”. Marc Marquez thinks back to the ordeal of four operations that followed the’Jerez crash, then the severe concussion after a training accident, followed by vision problems and, interviewed by the BBC, admits: “Two years ago I was perhaps in the most difficult moment of my career, because in 2020 the nightmare began. I did not know what the future would be, but I had to make some difficult, risky” decisions.

Now, after bidding farewell to Honda, followed by his experience on Team Gresini’s Ducati, and then moving to Ducati’s factory Rossa, he has had proof that he can still win in MotoGP and can aspire to a seventh title in the premier class. “The most difficult challenge of my career… I&#8217ve already overcome it: I came back after many injuries”.

In 2024 he scored three wins in major races and two pole positions, then joined the official Ducati team on a two-year contract. “The first goal was to rebuild my confidence – And rebuilding confidence means step by step trying to set achievable goals. First you have to understand the bike, then try to finish in the top five, then get on the podium and, finally, fight for victory”.

He admits he had to change his approach to stay competitive: “When I came to MotoGP, I was fighting against big names-Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi. The main difference is that now I am facing young talents coming from Moto2 and they are super competitive”.

He also pays more attention to safety: “I try to calculate the risks better. Ten years ago I thought ‘my body is only made to ride motorcycles, I don&#8217t care, I&#8217m fit and I&#8217ll recover. Now I understand that recovering from certain injuries is very difficult”. This year among the challengers for the title is his younger brother Alex, second in the standings, with Duceti Gresini. “We are living a dream” smiles Marc.

Then revealing: “My mother cheers more for Alex, but she always jokes. She says: ‘You have enough (of titles, ed), now let him win’. We are super close because we know that I can help him and he can help me”. Next goal is the ninth world title, which would allow him to equal Valentino Rossi: “Of course, nine is a number I would like to reach and I will try”.