Marc Marquez bet on himself when he chose to carry on in MotoGP after years of pain, surgeries and lingering questions over whether his body could still endure the demands of elite competition.
He had once promised his late grandfather that he would start again from scratch, and if he couldn’t win, he would retire from MotoGP. It was a bold vow, but it captured the intent of a man determined to chase his dream, no matter the cost.
So when Marquez finally returned to the very top of the sport after 2,184 days, it was little surprise that he broke down in public as emotions overwhelmed him. In his own words, he had completed the toughest challenge of his life, and the tears told a story no statistics could capture.
Even before his career-altering crash at Jerez in 2020, Marquez had set some of MotoGP’s most significant records. Winning was just a part of a routine for the Spaniard, who stepped up to MotoGP with Honda in 2013 and won six titles in his first seven seasons. In many ways, he was like a machine, winning races week-in and week-out, taking titles year-in and year-out.
But the Jerez incident left Marquez in uncharted territory. To spend a whole year outside of competition was already a massive change for him. The tribulations that followed, both due to the arm injury that required four surgeries in total, and the competitive slide in Honda’s performance, changed the world for Marquez.
Even the three victories he salvaged in 2021, before RC213V slid further down the pack, didn’t quite match the level of dominance he was accustomed to. Marquez felt like he had hit rock bottom, and it was going to be impossible to climb back to the top from there.
So to win a championship again – and in such dominant fashion – was a huge deal for someone who had battled with self-doubt for years, even with all the records he had achieved in the seasons prior.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Dorna
“I didn’t know about this ‘more than a number’ [hashtag] and it’s like this [for me]. It is more than a title,” he explained. “I already said before achieving it, it is the most difficult challenge of my career.
“When you are at the top of the mountain and taking the glory every weekend and winning championships, then when you fall down, the hit is much more [severe]. You don’t land on the ground, you go underground.
“So then to get out from there is impossible alone, and many many people around me helped me. A lot of people gave me the chance to follow my way and told me to ‘follow your instinct’. This was a very big help.”
It’s not that Marquez hadn’t faced some hardships in his career before. The events of the 2015 season and the breakdown in his relationship with Valentino Rossi certainly left an indelible mark on him. But it wasn’t quite anything like the Jerez crash and the uncertainty that followed over the years.
“Six years ago, I didn’t know what suffering was,” he made a telling remark. “I tasted glory all my career since 2010. It’s true that I had some injuries but it was three months, four months and it went away, and I won again.
“When you spend four years with four different surgeries in the arm, [it can be tough]. And then in that procedure, I also broke another bone and [suffered from] double vision two times. It was super difficult.
“But we are humans. I’m like you. You will have some talent, I will have another talent and the other people will have another talent, but we are humans and just we are trying to do our best.”
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP via Getty Images
Marquez could already sense some nerves before the start of the race, knowing that he could wrap up the title in the following 40 minutes if he didn’t concede more than six points to his nearest rival and brother Alex Marquez.
And when it finally dawned on him that he was the 2025 MotoGP champion, the Spaniard couldn’t hold back any longer.
“I tried to control but I expected [some emotions],” he said. “Even before the race, it was difficult to breathe. When you start crying, it is difficult to breathe. I was not crying but it was impossible to breathe in a good way. I couldn’t control emotions. Even on the last lap, I was crying inside the helmet and it was difficult even to see the brake points.
“Normally, I never cried when I won my world championships. But now I don’t want to think about what I passed through. If I think of it, I start to feel bad, because one of the good things about humans is you can’t forget the bad moments. So, it’s difficult to forget. Still today, I feel it on some days.
“But dreams come true. The most difficult challenge of my career is done.”
For a rider who had long been candid about his struggles, even admitting the mistake of attempting a comeback just days after his first surgery, it was striking to see Marquez draw a line at Motegi.
In the past, he had answered every question about his injuries in detail. Now, though, it’s clear he wants to close that chapter and focus on what lies ahead.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media via Getty Images
In his first interview after sealing the title, all Marquez could say was he was finally at peace with himself, an acknowledgement of the toll the injury had taken on him for so many years.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, however, and Marquez didn’t hide the fact that he had to battle his own demons during the lowest phase of his career.
“During these last years, I was fighting against many, many things. But the most difficult thing was fighting against Marc; it was Marc against Marc,” he explained.
“It was one Marc that said one way, the other Marc said another way. One Marc says ‘stop’, the other Marc says ‘continue’. But in the end, I tried to follow my instinct, to do my 100% never give up and try. This is the word. Try to do it.
“We did it but now just enjoy the moment. I don’t want to, I know that you will ask, but I don’t want to remember what I passed away, just I want to enjoy the moment.”
It was perhaps fitting that he won his ninth world title in Japan, a country that has been so significant in his career.
He was also joined on the podium by his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna – who was instrumental in his signing to the factory team – and Joan Mir from his former team, Honda.
Joan Mir, Honda HRC, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP via Getty Images
“We closed the circle in Japan, where I achieved my last world championship. It was in Japan where I made the decision to follow another way [to Ducati]. On the podium were all my Ducati team and my Honda team. So, perfect way [to clinch the title].”
The title was about more than Marquez alone. In him, MotoGP has found a Hollywood-worthy story of survival, resilience and redemption.
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