Marquez targets ‘closing the circle’ with comeback MotoGP title

Marc Marquez believes winning the 2025 MotoGP title would ‘close the circle’ for him after years of despair due to injuries and uncompetitive machinery.

A crash at the start of the COVID-delayed 2020 season in Jerez forced Marquez to undergo four surgeries over the subsequent years and contemplate an early retirement from MotoGP.

But the Spaniard persevered through the lowest period of his career, terminated a lucrative Honda contract to move to a satellite squad in 2024, and impressed Ducati enough to earn a factory seat this year.

Marquez’s hard work is now about to pay off, as he appears all but set to clinch his ninth world title - and seventh in the premier class - at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

While the Spaniard admitted he lost several years of his career due to the arm injury, he is now looking forward to completing what many regard as the greatest comeback in sporting history. 

“These last five years have been super difficult, where some people – even me – thought that maybe I lost two or three years of my career as a rider because I was more at home than here with all of you at the circuits,” he said.

“But it's true that in my personal life I learned a lot of things, and the personal life is much longer than a professional life. So I like this. 

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Andreas Solaro / AFP via Getty Images

“I don't like to repeat that experience, but I like that I learned many, many things. Right now, it's my second life in MotoGP, and this will be important if we can close all that circle in the best way possible. 

“That looks like it will be [the case]. Still six races to go, but I want to keep the full focus.”

Marquez earned a reputation for pushing beyond his limits and crashing too often during his first stint in MotoGP in the 2010s, where he racked up six titles and beat several MotoGP stars, including Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

He even attempted to return to action less than a week after his horrifying Jerez crash, only to withdraw from the race due to pain.

Now with more experience and maturity, Marquez said the long injury layoff that followed taught him to cut down on risks and understand the limitations of the human body.

“Minimise the risk, [risk] is not necessary in personal and professional life,” he said. “I'm a guy who likes to find adrenaline everywhere, but minimise that risk. 

“Of course, respect your body, this will be the target number one. I respect the injury, but then the second thing will be minimise the risk.”

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Dorna has begun pushing broadcasters to emphasise premier class achievements over records in lower categories. This means that Marquez will be presented as a seven-time MotoGP title winner - rather than a nine-time world champion - should he outscore his brother Alex Marquez by three points over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

Marquez was coy about the change in the way titles are counted, saying: “It's not in my hands. 

“I always say, when I will retire someday, it doesn't matter. Of course, the numbers matter a lot, but the most important [thing] is that the people remember me as I give everything on track.

“For example, the value of this championship inside of me is more than another one, but in the end, the number is the same one.

“But with the atmosphere and all what happened, the career of a rider is different, so in the end, numbers are numbers. They are not in my hands, but the most important [thing] is to increase those numbers. It doesn't matter how.”