Mick Doohan gets off balance: "Marc Marquez as Max Verstappen"

Mick Doohan to the Spanish daily Marca returned to talk about Marc Marquez’s 2025 rainbow triumph: “Only he can know what he really experienced. He was coming from a dominant position before the accident, then he went through all that and had a season without really fighting for the title knowing he was out of reach.”

Mick Doohan also stated that the Spaniard is a true champion: “This is what champions do. He overcame pain, doubts, difficult moments and made the right decisions.” He also added that Marc Marquez has been an example to everyone: “That makes what he has done even greater. Even for those who don’t follow motorcycling, his comeback was something legendary.”

The Spaniard also addressed Pedro Acosta’s landing at Ducati factory: “It’s not official, so I can’t comment on the rumors, but I can say that riders like Marc only think about themselves and that Ducati wants the best riders. It would be a tough challenge for both of them: the young guy who wants to beat the champion and the champion who doesn’t want to get beat, but to win you have to beat everyone, even your teammate.”

Finally, the former centaur made a comparison with F1: “Strong riders don’t fear their teammate. Max Verstappen doesn’t worry about who he is next to, it’s the others who have to worry about him.”