Marc and his world championship comeback at Borgo Panigale: “Here, I emerged from a dark place. The turning point? Having surgery on a bone that was fine for everyday life, but not for riding a motorcycle”
2025 was a historic year for Ducati: 17 race wins, 19 Sprint victories, 44 Sunday podiums, 6 different riders on the podium, 7 podiums entirely monopolized, and at least one Desmosedici in the top three for 88 consecutive GPs, from Aragon 2020 to Valencia 2025. All this came with the third Triple Crown—the MotoGP rider, team, and manufacturer titles—following those of 2007 and 2022. Winning it all, however, doesn’t make the future any easier, especially when the design of a brand-new bike and the contract renewal of world champion Marc Marquez come into play.
Marc, how is your rehabilitation going after the 2025 injury?
“It’s going very well. It’s been twelve weeks now, almost three months: I can start riding the bike again; the doctors have given the go-ahead, so I’ve started cautiously. Muscle-wise, I’ve already recovered quite a bit; my shoulder isn’t working perfectly yet, 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; it proved that the dream is stronger than fear, but now you have to raise the bar even higher.
“In the end, the hardest work is done: that doesn’t mean it will be easy to win again, but I’ve overcome the toughest challenge of my racing career—climbing out of that deep, dark hole—and I did it with an incredible team: the 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 did very well this year and will have the 2026 Ducati, then Pecco Bagnaia, a two-time world champion, and Bezzecchi, with an Aprilia that’s getting closer to us every time.”
Your sporting achievement—returning to MotoGP at the very highest level, given the situation you were in and at your age—is something out of the ordinary: what were the key moments along this journey?
“There are two. The first was the 2023 Japanese GP: 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 left in the season: usually a team doesn’t wait that long. That was the number one turning point, from a sporting perspective.”
And the second key moment?
“Having my fourth arm surgery: when everything was already fine, I went to America to break it and set it straight again. That was a difficult decision, because for leading a normal life it was fine—it was an arm that allowed me to do everyday things—but not for riding a motorcycle. So I took that risk. Then, I moved from the Gresini team to the factory 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 supports the team. Was your formula balanced?
”We’re a team. In the end, I’m the one riding the bike and crossing the finish line, but behind me there are many people—at the company in Bologna and at the track—who help make success happen.“
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from your experience at Ducati?
”That greatness is made by people. This is important because, when we talk about the size of a company, there are much larger Japanese brands, but at Ducati I realized that greatness is made by human beings, by people, and by 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 there is very, very good. We have an important year ahead of us, 2026, but obviously everything is still up in the air 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 exactly what to do. As I’ve always done throughout my racing career, if I’m happy and fast somewhere, the priority is to stay there.”
From being an opponent, you’ve gone on to celebrate your return to success right alongside the Ducati team: now you’re fast, happy, and on the right bike, but how much of that momentum will you carry into 2026 to start fresh once 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 kick in and we’ll have new tires, it’ll be harder to figure out how to tackle it. Right now, though, my mind is solely on 2026: I’m on the right team and with the right bike, and it’s all up to me whether I do better or worse.”
Do you remember the image of Lindsey Vonn on the podium in St. Moritz? Positive values and a symbol of the resilience of sport. What do you think of it?
“Yes, Lindsey Vonn did something incredible. I’ve met her many times, even when her knee was hurting. Honestly, I was really 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.”
