In the background of Marc Marquez’s debrief on Day 2 of the Buriram Test back in February, many could hear the faint rumble of Jaws music. Before we even raced for points, the timesheets looked like the #93 was already the rider to beat in 2025. Once the lights went out to race in Thailand, he very much was.
A much more difficult season than expected for the two riders who fought for the 2024 crown – Marquez’ new teammate Pecco Bagnaia, and reigning Champion Jorge Martin after his move to Aprilia – definitely had its own effect. But first time out this was Marquez on rewind and no one had an answer.
The only riders who had beaten Marquez in normal, dry circumstances and remained on the grid were Alex Rins, now with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, and Maverick Viñales, now with Red Bull KTM Tech3. Fabio Quartararo came close but, like teammate Rins, didn’t have the project ready to fight the most dominant machine of the era – and back when, it was his rookie year that overlapped with the last time Marquez ruled the world. A tantalising prospect for the future, especially given the upcoming regulation changes in 2027 and potential musical chairs between teams and riders, but not a reality just yet. So almost no one on the grid had ever rolled out to line up against Marc Marquez and beaten him.
And yet, there were chinks in his armour. In COTA, after the glorious Machiavellian play he’d made on the grid – but ultimately without having had the rules as clear as he’d needed to – he made a mistake that is visually obvious even watching on TV. White lines are slippery. At Jerez, another mistake saw him crash out and Alex Marquez take his maiden MotoGP Grand Prix win. In France the perfect decision making of past wet-dry gambles wasn’t on point this time round – and even when he emerged in second, behind then-leader Johann Zarco, the #93 had no answer. He said himself he didn’t push near the limit, having made that mistake in Jerez the race before. Zarco extended that lead and made his own slice of history.
In Silverstone Alex crashed, Marc crashed, there was a red flag, and the #93 was bested at the finish line. Marco Bezzecchi, and Zarco again, joined the club of beating peak Marquez at the top of his game. Quartararo lost the chance to do so as a likely insurmountable lead became a heartbreaking technical DNF.
Aragon was near perfection. Mugello saw Bagnaia throw down early but Marquez pushed on. In Hungary it was Bezzecchi leading the challenge but this time the #93 had the answer. Barcelona saw another name join the exclusive club of riders who have beaten Marc Marquez by straight-up outclassing him on the day: Alex Marquez. The #73 was simply quicker. In Misano it was Marc Marquez again, before Japan was another plot twist. After a season so tough – considering his previous few – that some have called it a nightmare, it was Bagnaia rolling out untouchable. A perfect double that Marquez said, regardless of the title being on the line, was beyond being beaten.
And then came Indonesia. Bezzecchi seemed to have the speed to walk through the field on paper – so much so that the #72 made a key mistake early on. Colliding with Marquez and both rolling off into the gravel, it was almost like he hadn’t expected the #93 ahead to be slower. But on that day, he was. And so began another chapter in the injury comebacks.
But the through line of this story is the baton being passed from one rider to another as Marquez marched on. Not unbeatable but the benchmark, and after five years out of the title fight.
On the day he won the title in Motegi, he had undergone five surgeries on his right arm and shoulder since he was last MotoGP World Champion in 2019 – during which time he missed 30 races. He had crashed 108 times since he was last MotoGP World Champion in 2019.
He is now the rider with the longest wait between MotoGP World Championships: six years. The previous longest gap was for Casey Stoner, who had four years between his titles in 2007 (Ducati) and 2011 (Honda).
It’s one of the greatest feats achieved in sport – not only to come back, but to come back and make himself the benchmark once again. Now the challenge is really on for the rest as 2026 appears on the horizon – Marquez having overgone one more surgery and with his own reset to make, and his rivals ready to reload and give it another shot.
See you in Sepang for the first official test of 2026 as the #93 gets back on track and the challenge to beat him begins again.