Marc Marquez does not say that equaling Valentino Rossi’s world titles is his goal – the biggest challenge of his career was his serious arm injury
Marc Marquez is pushing his success statistics to new heights in the 2025 MotoGP season. This weekend at Mugello, he could claim his 100th pole position across all classes. His 100th Grand Prix victory is also within reach, as the Spaniard currently has 92 wins in all classes.
Valentino Rossi has won 115 races in his career and has been world champion nine times. Marquez could equal this record this year if he wins the world championship with Ducati.
Is it his goal to equal or surpass Rossi’s records? “Whether I win nine world titles or not, I’ve already mastered the biggest challenge of my career,” Marquez replied when asked this question.
“And that was coming back from a very difficult moment.” He is referring to his serious upper arm fracture in Jerez in 2020 and the long and hard recovery period that followed. His arm underwent four operations, the last of which took place three years ago.
In 2022, Marquez held a press conference on the Saturday of the Mugello race weekend to announce this operation. After the Grand Prix, which he finished tenth, he traveled to the US and took a break for six race weekends following the operation.
“Three years ago, I announced here in this press conference room that I was going to travel to America to have my arm broken again so that it could be straightened. That was my biggest challenge,” Marquez recalls today.
Overcoming this difficult phase and becoming competitive again was the biggest challenge of his career. “Every rider has his own career, his own injuries, his riding style, his character,” he says, not wanting to make comparisons.
“And now I’m just enjoying it. Of course, as a Ducati rider, I feel the pressure, and I’ll try to win the world championship. But sometimes it’s not just about whether you can do it – we want it, and we’re going to try.”
“Of course, I’m in good shape. I think Alex and I have raised the bar a little bit because we push each other. Alex is also having the best year of his career so far. ‘Pecco’ is getting closer and closer, and as I said two races ago, ‘Pecco’ is closer than the numbers suggest.”
