Marquez gears up to prove a point ahead of the new MotoGP season
Marc Marquez is back in MotoGP for another year, and once again he has something to prove. It’s a familiar spot for him – and it’s often where he’s at his best.
He never really goes away, even when he takes time off. That presence is one of the reasons Ducati should consider extending his deal sooner rather than later.
He always has been. There are moments on track that only he seems capable of pulling off.
Marquez could also have a big say in how the rider market shakes out this year, with plenty of teams likely to hold off on decisions until they know what his plans are heading into the 2027 rule changes.
How Marc Marquez surprised Ducati before even turning up for work
Max Biaggi thinks Marquez will call it a career after his 10th title, which would be a remarkable milestone. But that’s still at least three years away from even being a possibility.
Maybe he’ll want to finish up back at Honda, but there’s no real rush to make that happen. He’s in a strong position as things stand.
If Ducati have been building the best bikes for years, staying put—especially during the first season of new regulations—makes sense.
And by now, he knows the team inside out. Even before he joined, though, he’d already done his homework. He took the time to memorise everyone’s names and roles ahead of his first day.
Mauro Grassilli shared with Motosprint: “At the first meeting, he knew all the names, surnames and job titles of everyone on the team. When someone he didn’t know introduced himself to him, he replied: ‘You weren’t on the website.’”
“He studied all the team members on the website to be ready for that first meeting. There are riders I’ve worked with who didn’t even remember my name.”
Marc Marquez’s pre-season approach: Why caution is key for the MotoGP Champion
Ducati’s efforts to fix the GP25 shortcomings may actually put a bit more pressure on Marquez to deliver, which isn’t ideal given he’s still recovering from a major injury.
“He knows his place and it is not correct for him to throw himself into aggressive battles at the start of this season,” Enea Bastianini recently told Gazzetta dello Sport.
The pre-season isn’t the right time for that. Just look at Jorge Martin last year – pushing too early cost him dearly over the course of the season.
Instead, Marquez needs to make sure that he’s on the grid for Sunday’s race in Thailand, then he can begin to really explore the limits again.
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