Pol Espargaro speaks openly about Marc Marquez, as a rival, as a teammate, and as an exceptional talent—why the Spaniard can “destroy” other riders

Pol Espargaro has experienced Marc Marquez’s career up close like hardly any other rider.
As a rival in the smaller classes, later as a teammate at Repsol Honda, and today as an observer in his role as KTM test rider. In an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS, the 34-year-old paints a complex picture of the nine-time world champion. One that makes one thing clear above all else: Marquez is an exceptional rider who pushes others to their limits and beyond.

Espargaro realized early on that Marquez was something special. However, he doubts that anyone could have predicted such a career. Although Marquez’s closest circle believed in him very early on and did “incredible work,” the future of such a young rider is hardly predictable.

“So many things can happen and go wrong with young talents that it is very difficult to make a long-term prediction,” Pol explains in retrospect.

Marc Marquez: uncompromisingly competitive

As an opponent, Espargaro describes Marquez as extremely difficult to beat. Even in the 125cc class, it was clear that Marc had advantages, and not just because of his talent. “He was very small, very light. At a time when weight was extremely important, you knew that sooner or later he would overtake you on the straights.”

But that alone does not explain it. Even as a teenager, Marquez had “excessive talent” and made perfect use of his physical attributes, despite the disadvantages that a small body brings when riding a motorcycle.

Espargaro got to know a whole new dimension when he became Marquez’s teammate at Repsol Honda in 2021 and 2022. “Marc is extremely competitive and takes everything to the extreme, with his team and with his riding style,” he says. After all, in the MotoGP paddock, the first opponent is always your own teammate. And that’s exactly how Marquez lives, “down to the last detail, down to the thousandth.”

There was tension at the beginning, for example at the season opener in Qatar. But given the difficult situation at Honda, it quickly became clear that the only way forward was to work together. “The MotoGP Honda wasn’t working well, so we had to help each other out at least a little bit to get the project off the ground,” says Espargaro. They succeeded in doing so over the course of the season.

Time at Honda: a motorcycle with no leeway

Espargaro speaks openly about the Honda of those years: “It was complicated, very complicated.” At the time, he thought Honda was going through its worst phase. With a little distance, he sees things differently. “In retrospect, those were still the last good years.”

Podium finishes, a pole position, and even a double victory at Misano with Marquez are proof of that. Later, with riders like Joan Mir and Luca Marini, it became even more difficult. “In that respect, I feel almost privileged to have experienced that phase,” Espargaro looks back with pride.

He also puts into perspective the famous scene of Marquez on the Honda pit radio saying that he is better than everyone else but needs the right tools to prove it. At the time, Honda was still very much stuck in old Japanese ways of working. “Times have changed—aerodynamics, tires, reaction speed. The European manufacturers were simply better in these areas.“

The difficult Honda was also a factor in the many injuries, both for Marquez and for himself. ”We crashed a lot, we had a lot of injuries.“

Without the necessary tools, you had to constantly push yourself to the limit. ”You had no leeway, you couldn’t pace yourself. You always had to ride at 100 percent, and that inevitably led to crashes.“ Injuries made the risk even greater because it was almost impossible to maintain that level.

”As a teammate, Marc can destroy you”

When asked whether Marquez is worse as a rival or as a teammate, Espargaro is very clear. Marc has the ability to reach the limit earlier than others and play with it. That helps him identify problems earlier and adapt. That’s exactly what we’re seeing right now in comparison to Francesco Bagnaia.

“When you have problems yourself, but your teammate is suffering just as much, it comforts you. But when your teammate doesn’t feel those problems and still wins, it brings you down.
It destroys you as a rider,“ Espargaro knows. However, the Spaniard firmly rejects the idea that Marquez had to win with Ducati to confirm his status. He draws a comparison with Dani Pedrosa: one of the best riders in history, even without a MotoGP title. ”Results and numbers don’t always tell the whole story,” Espargaro emphasizes.
A title with a dominant Ducati should be evaluated differently than a title with a difficult Honda. That’s why the KTM tester believes: “Marc didn’t need a world championship title with Ducati to show that he’s the best.”

But now that he has won the 2025 title in such a dominant manner, the question arises: Who is Marc Marquez racing against today? For Espargaro, the answer is clear: “Against himself.” Against his own ambition, his passion, his hunger.

Perhaps the next goal is to surpass Valentino Rossi in terms of titles. But even after that, Marquez will not stop. “He doesn’t ride for the numbers. He rides out of passion, out of the will to win. And as long as he can, that’s exactly what he’ll do.”