Marquez's comeback story - from 'nightmare' to contender

Marc Marquez is simply a 2025 MotoGP title contender.

Those words would person been unthinkable to nan eight-time world champion 2 seasons agone erstwhile he was surviving a "nightmare" aft suffering surgery bones, and terrible concussion, and needing a number of operations.

The six-time MotoGP champion had not won a title for astir 1,000 days - thing that would person seemed intolerable arsenic he won 4 consecutive championships from 2016 to 2019.

"Two years agone I was possibly successful nan deepest infinitesimal of my profession because successful 2020 it started - nan nightmare," nan 32-year-old told BBC Sport.

"I didn't cognize what [the future] would be, but I had immoderate difficult decisions [to make] - risky decisions."

In 2023 nan Spaniard told BBC Sport he was not "ready to triumph again". At nan extremity of that play he near Honda - a squad he was astatine for 11 years - and joined Gresini Racing, nan outer Ducati team.

"Honda were my friends and pinch a very bully net - I said nary to each those things, conscionable beryllium to myself if I was capable to beryllium fast," he said.

Now, starring nan title standings and racing for nan mill Ducati team, he has his proof.

How has he sewage to nan constituent wherever a ninth world title - to adjacent chap awesome Valentino Rossi - is wrong reach?

Some fans are hailing Marquez's return to title-contending shape arsenic a comeback for nan ages.

It is not difficult to spot why.

Since winning his astir caller MotoGP title successful 2019, Marquez has suffered a drawstring of injuries.

He collapsed his limb astatine nan commencement of nan 2020 season, which complete nan people of 2 years required 4 operations.

In 2021 a motocross clang resulted successful terrible concussion.

The pursuing year, double imagination meant he had to miss galore races, and successful 2023 he collapsed his ankle, ribs and fingers.

For him, his comeback is complete - sloppy of whether he wins nan title.

"The astir difficult situation of my career... I person already achieved that - coming backmost from a batch of injuries. I collapsed many, galore things conscionable trying to amended my skills," he said.

After a coagulated 2024, erstwhile he claimed 3 characteristic title wins and 2 rod positions, he joined nan mill Ducati squad connected a two-year contract.

"The first extremity was to rebuild my confidence," he said. "And rebuild nan assurance intends measurement by measurement to effort to put successful targets that you tin achieve.

"You cannot get astatine a triumph consecutive away. First of each you request to understand nan bike, past effort to decorativeness successful nan apical five, past a podium and past measurement by measurement conflict for a victory."

Marquez has had to alteration his attack to enactment competitive. Once a inclination setter, he is now nan 1 having to adapt.

"When I arrived successful MotoGP I was fighting against large names - Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi. The main quality erstwhile I arrived successful MotoGP to now is that now I americium fighting against nan younger talents that get from Moto2 and they are ace competitive," he said.

"I introduced nan elbow and a caller riding style and now erstwhile nan younger riders arrive, they present different point truthful I request to adapt."

He has besides go much alert of safety.

"I deliberation much astir nan information and I effort to cipher much nan risks - astatine 1 of nan strongest and weakest points of my profession it was difficult to spot nan risk," said Marquez, who remains nan youngest MotoGP champion of each time.

"Ten years ago, I was for illustration 'my assemblage is conscionable for riding a bike, I don't attraction - I americium fresh and I will recover', but now I understand that recovering from immoderate injuries are ace difficult."

The past clip Marquez was fighting for nan title - successful 2019 - his rivals were legends successful nan athletics successful Rossi and Lorenzo, who person a mixed 14 world titles.

This twelvemonth nan challenger is overmuch person to home, pinch his younger relative Alex sitting 2nd down him successful nan standings.

Marc Marquez leads nan MotoGP standings connected 196 points and has a 24-point advantage complete his relative pinch 15 races remaining.

Even their mother has divided loyalties.

"We are surviving a dream," said Marquez, whose 29-year-old relative competes for Gresini Ducati. "We are first and 2nd successful nan title together.

"My mum is supporting much Alex, but ever joking because she says to us, 'you person enough, fto him win'.

"Now we are ace tight because we cognize I tin thief him and he tin thief me. And we want nan champion for each other."

Who is amended - Rossi aliases Marc Marquez? It is nan statement that continues to rage connected betwixt motorsport fans.

In position of titles successful nan premier class, Rossi, who retired successful 2021 has seven, pinch 9 world titles successful total. Marquez has six successful MotoGP - and a title successful some nan 125cc and Moto2 Championship, bringing his full to eight.

Rossi has 89 MotoGP title wins pinch Marquez connected 62 earlier nan commencement of nan 2025 season.

And that ninth world title remains a extremity for Marquez.

"Of people 9 is simply a number that I would for illustration to execute because it is nan adjacent number successful my profession and we will try," he said. "And it is existent it would adjacent Valentino Rossi successful championships."