Marc Marquez has already rejected the new MotoGP
Marc Marquez and MotoGP “made peace” in 2025, when the Catalan rider became world champion again after years of injuries and setbacks. The revolution set to take place in 2027, however, already seems to be a major turn-off for him. Having already tested the prototype of the 2027 Ducati 850, his verdict is already unequivocal.
“Even though I suspect the fans won’t notice, the 850s aren’t as fast as the current MotoGP bikes,” Marquez said during an appearance on ‘Soy Blak,’ a Spanish YouTube channel dedicated to all things motorcycles. “But I was hoping they’d reduce the aerodynamics much more; I wanted a bigger step back. Without aerodynamics, we’d see more group races similar to Moto3. But every era has its pros and cons—we’ll get used to it this time too.”
These comments come at a time when Marquez is experiencing a 2026 season that’s been anything but smooth. The Catalan champion has had to deal with a new injury, which forced him to miss Sunday’s race at Le Mans and his home Grand Prix in Catalonia. Despite this, the rider has shown resilience, as demonstrated by his dominant weekend at the Sachsenring in mid-July, where he secured pole position, victory in the Sprint Race, and victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix, bringing his points total to 190 in the standings—just 18 points behind leader Jorge Martin.
During that same interview on the ‘Soy Blak’ podcast, Márquez also addressed the sensitive topic of injuries, with remarks that went viral online: “As an athlete gets older and suffers more injuries, he has to learn to live with the pain. He can’t complain all the time; otherwise, there’s a risk of spending the whole day in physical therapy.” This revelation sent a chill through the fans, as the rider disclosed that he can’t sleep on his right side because of his arm and that he now has to devote almost all his time to training, including cardio sessions, strength training, and specific exercises for his arm.
Amid the technical revolution of 2027, the rider market is already undergoing a profound reshaping around the new 850cc bikes. Honda, in particular, has announced a complete overhaul of its program, focusing on Fabio Quartararo—the 2021 world champion, who is leaving Yamaha after several years—and the young Colombian David Alonso, one of the most promising talents to emerge from Moto3 and Moto2. On the Aprilia front, meanwhile, the move of Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia has been made official; he has signed a four-year contract with the Noale-based manufacturer starting in 2027, forming an all-Italian duo with Marco Bezzecchi.
It’s a landscape in great flux, then, which makes Marquez’s words all the more significant: while the teams prepare for the new era, the reigning champion is already looking beyond it, and makes no secret of some reservations about how this era will play out on the track.
