Marquez’s comeback from ‘nightmare’ to contender

A MotoGP title challenger for 2025 is Marc Marquez.

The eight-time world champion, who had suffered broken bones, a severe concussion, and numerous operations, would have been unable to comprehend those words when he had been living a “nightmare” two seasons ago.

The six-time MotoGP champion won four championships in a row from 2016 to 2019, making it seem impossible for him to have won a race for nearly 1, 000 days.

The 32-year-old told BBC Sport: “Two years ago, I was perhaps at the most difficult time of my career because the nightmare started in 2020.”

“I had some difficult decisions to make, but I didn’t know what the future would be,” he said.

The Spaniard declared to BBC Sport in 2023 that he was not “ready to win again.” At the conclusion of that season, he left Honda, a team he had spent 11 years with, and made his debut at Gresini Racing, the satellite Ducati team.

He said, “I said no to all those things because my friends and I had a very good job. I just proved to myself if I was quick.”

He has his evidence now, leading the championship standings and participating in factory Ducati racing.

How did he get to the point where he could win a ninth world title, beating Valentino Rossi, who is also great?

Some fans see Marquez’s resumption of title-holding as a comeback for the ages.

Why is obvious to everyone.

Marquez has suffered a number of injuries since winning his most recent MotoGP title in 2019.

At the start of the 2020 season, he broke his arm, which required four operations over the course of two years.

A severe concussion occurred in a motocross collision in 2021.

Due to having double vision the following year, he was forced to miss numerous races, and in 2023 he broke his ankle, ribs, and fingers.

Whether or not he wins the title, he has made a complete comeback.

“The most challenging challenge of my career… ” I’ve already recovered from a lot of injuries. He claimed that in an effort to improve my skills, I broke many, many things.

He joined the factory Ducati team on a two-year contract following a strong 2024 campaign that saw him win three feature races and two pole positions.

He said, “The first thing I wanted to do was to regain my confidence.” And gradually work toward achieving goals that you can achieve, to rebuild confidence.

You can’t win a fight without waiting. You must first understand the bike, then work your way up to the top five, then a podium, and then step-by-step battle for a podium.

For Marquez to maintain his composure, he has had to alter his mindset. He was once a trend follower, but he now has to adapt.

Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, and Valentino Rossi, the three famous riders, were competing against me when I first entered MotoGP. The main difference between when I first entered MotoGP and now is that I compete against the younger talent from Moto2, which are extremely competitive, he said.

I introduced the elbow and a new riding style, but when the younger riders show up, they also introduce a new feature, which I need to adapt to.

Additionally, he has grown more aware of safety.

Marquez, who is still the youngest MotoGP champion of all time, said, “I think more about the safety and I try to calculate more the risks. – At one of my career’s strongest and weakest points, it was difficult to see the risk.”

Marquez’s rivals Rossi and Lorenzo, who have a combined 14 world titles, were legends in the sport at the time Marquez was vying for the title in 2019, respectively.

The standings-to-bee challenger for this year is much closer to home, with Alex sitting second behind him in the standings.

With only 15 races left, Marc Marquez holds the top spot in the MotoGP standings with 196 points over his brother.

Even their mother’s ties to them differ.

Marquez, whose 29-year-old brother competes for Gresini Ducati, said, “We are living a dream.” Both of us are first and second in the same championship.

My mother always jokes that “you have enough, let him win,” while supporting Alex, but she always does.

Which performer, Marc Marquez or Rossi, is superior? The discussion between motorsport fans is still raging.

Rossi, who retired in 2021, holds seven titles total, including nine world titles. Marquez now has eight titles, including six in MotoGP, as well as two titles in the 125cc and Moto2 championship.

Before the start of the 2025 season, Rossi and Marquez combined for 89 MotoGP victories.

And Marquez still has a goal for the ninth world title.