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'All that effort, all that pain' - Neil Hodgson hails Marc Marquez comeback and hints at Francesco Bagnaia resurgence
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Published 28/09/2025 at 08:24 GMT+1
TNT Sports pundits Neil Hodgson and Michael Laverty raved over Ducati Lenovo rider Marc Marquez's comeback after he sealed a seventh MotoGP world championship on Sunday at Grand Prix Japan. The 32-year-old Spaniard overcame serious injury to not just avoid retirement, but to return to the pinnacle of the sport he previously dominated before surgery.
'Champion once more' - Marquez makes his championship official at Grand Prix Japan
Video credit: TNT Sports
Neil Hodgson praised 2025 MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez for "all that effort, all that pain", but predicted that next season would be "different."
Marquez finished in second spot at Grand Prix Japan on Sunday, behind his Ducati Lenovo team-mate Francesco Bagnaia.
That result was enough for Marquez to land his seventh world title, his first after several years struggling with injury and form following a dreadful accident that required extensive surgery on his arm.
At some point there had been speculation that the Spaniard would choose to retire as he battled to rediscover his best form, but this season he has been far and away the best rider of the year.
The 32-year-old broke down in tears trying to put his thoughts into words in a post-race interview, and before then was also overcome as he watched a video tribute about his comeback.
Speaking to TNT Sports after seeing Marquez win the title, Hodgson hailed the rider.
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'More than a heart that never gives up' - Champion Marquez overwhelmed by video tribute
Video credit: TNT Sports
He said: "What a champion, what a season he's had. What a comeback. Nine world titles. I've got a feeling it's probably not going to be his last. He's going to start his 2026 season in Indonesia.
"All that work. You can't put into words all that effort, all that pain.
"Even the first [championship], he was just like a machine, even if it went to the last round, because he had always been a winning machine. That's a fact."
Hodgson noted that while some observers felt that Marquez was poised to restart his era of dominance over the rest of the pack, Bagnaia's double victory in Japan may herald a return to form for another world champion.
Discussing the Italian’s dramatic improvement, Hodgson added: "Quite a few people say next year will be boring, more of the same, total dominance from this man. It feels different now."
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'From the depths of despair' - Marquez wins world championship at Grand Prix Japan
Video credit: TNT Sports
Laverty praises return from ‘depths of despair’
TNT Sports pundit Michael Laverty paid his own tribute to Marquez.
"Marc has been through such a rollercoaster to get back to his best at the moment, and what a feeling that must be for him today," he said.
"The raw emotion, to do it with his family here, with his brother on the grid, sharing the one-two for the family in the Moto GP title race this year. It is exceptional. What a story."
Laverty discussed how Marquez battled back from his career-threatening injuries to finally make it back to the top of the sport.
"As Gavin (Emmett, TNT Sports MotoGP commentator) said, it's been one of the worst things to happen in his life, but also one of the best," he said.
- Marc Marquez crowned world champion as Bagnaia claims victory in Japan
- 'Pecco is back' - Hodgson predicts Bagnaia and Marquez rivalry could blossom
"It's made him appreciate everything he has at his disposal, what he can do now, what he can deliver at 32 years of age, this crowning moment, the fact that he can really, really appreciate it.
"He's had to earn it. He's had to go through those tough days, the life-changing operations, the mindset-altering depths of despair that he was in, to then come back, change manufacturer and now deliver another world title six years on."
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