MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Marc Marquez has finally opened up about the precise moment he realised the 2025 MotoGP world title was within his grasp. In an exclusive post-season interview with MotoGP.com, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider pinpointed the Qatar Grand Prix as the pivotal race that shifted his mindset, coming straight after a costly mistake in Austin.
“For me, the most important GP was Qatar,” Marquez revealed. “I was coming from the Austin GP where I made a big mistake, and then in Qatar again 37 points — Sprint and main race — on a completely different circuit to my riding style. That’s when I started to realise that this was the year.”
Marquez delivered one of the most dominant seasons in modern MotoGP history in 2025. He won three of the first four grands prix, followed by an incredible eight victories in nine races from Aragon to Misano, before clinching his ninth world title at Motegi, Japan — with five rounds still remaining. He eventually finished the championship 78 points clear, despite missing the final five races due to a shoulder injury sustained in a clash with Marco Bezzecchi in Indonesia.
“In the end, the most important thing is speed. If you have the speed, everything becomes easier to control,” he explained.
The 2025 crown marked Marquez’s first premier-class title since 2019 and ended a five-year drought caused by the severe humerus injury suffered at Jerez 2020. At 32 years old, riding for a new factory team with a “new arm” and a transformed mentality, he described himself as a changed rider.
“It’s a different Marc,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t say it’s a better Marc — the old Marc was winning too. It’s the same Marc but with different strengths. Now I have a different arm, different physical condition, different mentality. You have to adapt; you can’t ride the same way as in 2013.”
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The late-season shoulder injury arrived at the worst possible time for celebrations but the best possible time for recovery — with the title already secured.
“The new injury didn’t affect the previous ones, and the doctors are happy with the progress,” Marquez confirmed. “Having the entire winter ahead means the doctors, physios, and I can take every step with extra caution.”
With his ninth premier-class crown now in the bag, Marquez sits just one title shy of Valentino Rossi’s record. Could 2026 deliver number ten?
Follow every step of Marc Marquez’s off-season recovery and 2026 preparations only on Sportrik.com/en!
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