Marc and the world championship revival at Borgo Panigale: “Here I came out of a black hole. The turning point? Operating on a bone that was fine for normal life, but not for motorcycling.”

2025 was a historic year for Ducati: 17 race wins, 19 Sprint wins, 44 podiums on Sundays, 6 different riders on the podium, 7 podiums entirely monopolized, and at least one Desmosedici in the top three in 88 consecutive GPs, from Aragon 2020 to Valencia 2025. All this with the third Triple Crown, the MotoGP rider, brand, and manufacturer titles, after those of 2007 and 2022. Winning everything, however, does not simplify the future, especially when the design of a new motorcycle and the contract renewal of world champion Marc Marquez come into play.

Marc, how is your rehabilitation going after your injury in 2025?

“It’s going very well. It’s already been twelve weeks, almost three months: I can start riding again, the doctors have given the go-ahead, so I’ve cautiously started again. Muscularly, I’ve already recovered quite a bit, my shoulder still isn’t working perfectly, but we have a month and a half until the tests in Malaysia in February. The goal is to be fast right from the first race in Thailand.”

It was a fantastic season, you proved that dreams are stronger than fear, but now you have to raise the bar even higher.

“In the end, the hardest work has been done: that doesn’t mean it will be easy to win again, but I’ve overcome the most difficult challenge of my sporting career, which was to get out of that deep, dark hole, and I did it with an incredible team: Ducati Factory. Now we’re working again to fight for the 2026 world title. It won’t be easy: there’s my brother Alex, who has done very well this year and will have the 2026 Ducati, then Pecco Bagnaia, a two-time world champion, and Bezzecchi, with an Aprilia that is getting closer to us every time.”

Your sporting achievement, returning to MotoGP at the highest level, starting from the situation you were in and at your age, is something out of the ordinary: what were the key moments in this journey?

“There are two. The first was the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix: the following week, I made the decision to leave the team that had given me everything, Honda, to join the Gresini team. Nadia Padovani had waited for me until that point, with four GPs to go: usually a team doesn’t wait that long. That was the number one moment, in sporting terms.”

And the second highlight?

“Having the fourth operation on my arm: when everything was already fine, I went to America to break it and put it back in place. That was a difficult decision because it was fine for a normal life, it was an arm that allowed me to do everyday things, but not to ride a motorcycle. So I took that risk. Then, I went from the Gresini team to the official team, but that was a consequence: those were the two key points.“

To win, you need the rider, the bike, the team, and the company that works for the team. Was your recipe balanced?

”We are a team. In the end, I’m the one who rides the bike and crosses the finish line, but behind me there are many people, in the company in Bologna and at the circuit, who help to achieve success.“

What is the most valuable thing you learned from your experience at Ducati?

”That greatness is made by people. This is important because, if we talk about the size of a company, there are much larger Japanese brands, but at Ducati I realized that greatness is created by human beings, people, and the smallest details.”

How much do you like the city of Bologna? Would it be nice to end your career at Ducati?

“I’ve visited the Ducati factory more than the city of Bologna! I need to find a quiet day to explore the city because the food is very, very good. We now have an important year ahead of us, 2026, but obviously everything is open for 2027 and 2028: on a scale of 1 to 10, my desire to stay at Ducati is an 8, but I need to figure out what to do. As I have always done in my sporting career, if I am happy and fast in one place, the priority is to stay there.”

From being an opponent, he went on to celebrate his return to success together with the Ducati team: now he is fast, happy, and has the right bike, but how many of these emotions will he carry with him into 2026 to start again?

“Next year will be clearer and even more important because the bike will be good, whereas if you think about 2027 and 2028, when new regulations will come into force and we will have new tires, it will be more difficult to understand how to deal with it. But right now, I’m only thinking about 2026: I’m in the right team and with the right bike, and it’s all in my hands to do better or worse.“

Do you remember the image of Lindsey Vonn on the podium in St. Moritz? Positive values and a synthesis of the resilience of sport. What do you think?

”Yes, Lindsey Vonn did something incredible. I’ve met her many times, even when she had a sore knee. Honestly, I was very surprised by the way she won. I’m sure she’s preparing for the next two years: her goal is to do very well, but she’s already done the hardest part and I’m really happy for her.”