MotoGP, Marc Marquez has come full circle and looks forward to retirement with no regrets

Marc Marquez spoke on the podcast Imagin Keeps A Plan, returning to his relationship with Honda, with which he won eight world titles. After 2020, due to operations and difficult seasons, the bond with the Japanese manufacturer soured, until the choice to start again in 2024 with Ducati: “My relationship with Honda was loving but toxic: I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I had to because it was the best thing for me.” In addition, the Spaniard said he finally feels free: “The circle of my sporting career I personally closed and everything that comes now is welcome. The will to win is the same, but I did not want my sports career to end with that phase after the injury in 2020. Now I am at peace with myself.”

On the track, the Cannibal has always differed in his aggressive riding, even ‘looking’ for the fall to find the bike’s limit: “On the track ‘not seeing fear and danger’ has been one of my strengths, but also weaknesses. I’ve been working on starting to see them.” However, the last few years have seen a more cautious alien: “My instinct has always been to risk everything, whether in a free practice session or in a race where you’re playing for the world championship. As I got older, though, I started to realize that it wasn’t worth it, especially with injuries.”

The rider from Cervera switched to Ducati Gresini in 2024, and then switched to that factory in 2025, and he didn’t hide his initial doubts: “What held me back the most was my heart: having been 10 years with Honda, 10 years with the same mechanics, 10 years with the same people.” He also admitted that he felt pressure: “An athlete and many public figures have a lot of pressure: when you try something you expose yourself mediatically, it’s not like at home like when you say ‘I’ll try to see how the potato tortilla comes’-said 93- mediatically I was sending a very clear message: give me the winning bike, I want to see what I’m capable of.”

“I doubted that I could be fast again. However, I know that my arm is not what it used to be, and one of the things that helped me the most was to stop comparing my right arm with my left,” his closing remark. Finally, the Ducati centaur said, “I am aware that retirement is getting closer and closer, I will be here as long as my body holds up.”