– Sporting icons generate a level of attention that far exceeds the rest of the field. In MotoGP, the gap between Marquez and his peers in terms of influence and impact is enormous – with everything that entails.
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Since the start of the season, the reigning champion has conveyed a somewhat different image than the one that allowed him to dominate again last year and secure his ninth world championship title as well as the seventh in the premier class. The explosive aggressiveness that had long distinguished him seemed somewhat toned down, giving way to a more conservative and intelligent riding style, less aggressive than before.
This inevitably set off some alarm bells. Against this backdrop, the statements he made immediately after winning the title echoed particularly loudly.
“Honestly, I have no desire at all to get back on the motorcycle. I don’t put myself under as much pressure as before. Previously, after winning a title, I wanted to go straight to the next race and destroy everyone again. But my mentality has changed,” he said directly after his 9th title.
What if, after all the efforts required to become competitive again, he had simply lost motivation? When Marquez then started the 2026 MotoGP season with problems, some quickly took the opportunity to suggest that his retirement might not be far off.
Photo series: Marc Marquez: His path to the seventh MotoGP title
Only in Le Mans, at the fifth race of the season, did the Spaniard finally admit to riding injured. The revelation came just a few hours after he broke the absolute lap record in Q1 on the legendary French track.
Marquez himself did not know for a long time what was wrong
But despite such brilliant moments, Marquez was not physically fit. As a result of the crash at the start of last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix, the metal structure stabilizing his right arm had shifted. One of the screws inserted during an earlier operation in 2019 intermittently rubbed against the radial nerve, causing sudden and unpredictable loss of strength in the arm.
Interestingly, the problem did not occur during motocross riding – due to the different seating position – nor during training on near-production sport motorcycles. He also noticed nothing unusual in the gym. “He was lifting the same weights on the bench press as before,” reported those close to him.
But on the MotoGP bike, the feeling was missing. After the Spanish Grand Prix, Marquez decided to take action and see a doctor to have his shoulder examined, which unexpectedly “shut down” at random moments.
“Before that, I gave myself time because I really thought the problem might be with me, that I might have a mental block,” the world champion admitted.
With this, Marquez once again highlighted one of his greatest strengths: his willingness to question himself. The same attitude had already led him to forgo the last year of his lucrative Honda contract to find out if he could still be competitive on a Ducati.
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After the problem was finally identified and an operation scheduled, Marquez drastically reduced the number of people who knew about it. “He only told Gigi [Dall’Igna] and Marco [Rigamonti] because they have direct access to his data,” explained a source from the team. “That way they could understand why he could push in one lap and not in the next.”
Great relief also in the Ducati team
In Le Mans, Marquez then went public with it. The trigger was his crash in the sprint race, in which he suffered a foot fracture that had to be operated on. Marquez used this situation to also talk about his shoulder problem and to bring forward the already planned operation significantly.
Inside the box, the mood of the technicians around Marquez changed from concern before Le Mans to relief afterwards. “Marc took a weight off his shoulders after Jerez. And also for us in Le Mans after the crash, when he finally explained what was going on with him,” said a source from the Ducati team.
In fact, team manager Davide Tardozzi had planned to visit him at home beforehand to assess whether there was really cause for concern. But this trip was canceled after Marquez made the problem public, and all doubts about the intentions of Ducati’s figurehead disappeared.
If anything, the entire episode has only reinforced one conclusion even more: Marquez’s motivation to continue racing is completely intact, as long as his body allows it and the results justify it.
Photo series: The ordeal of MotoGP star Marc Marquez
Subject to the examinations he must undergo this week, it is assumed that Ducati has already prepared everything for him to return in Mugello – provided he receives medical clearance.
Although the Italian race is of great importance to Ducati and several activities are planned to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary, there is absolutely no pressure on the Catalan to speed up his recovery process.
His health remains the priority, and Ducati’s confidence in Marquez’s commitment is complete. The contract extension between the rider and the manufacturer from Bologna was reportedly signed months ago and runs for another two years until the end of the 2028 MotoGP season.
It has only not been officially announced yet because it is still linked to ongoing negotiations between the teams and the world championship promoter.
As with any agreement, the contract between Marquez and Ducati could be terminated under certain circumstances. And of course, Ducati would never force him to continue racing if a health problem prevented him from fighting for the goals he himself considers appropriate. But that is not news, just common sense.
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