Moto GP world champion Marc Marquez plans to retire 'sooner' as 'final stage' injuries will 'push me harder'

Ducati Lenovo rider Marc Marquez ended a five-year gap between MotoGP world championships last season when he claimed the 2025 title. The 32-year-old Spaniard completed a heroic comeback after four surgeries on his arm after a crash in 2020 that left him struggling to match his best form. Marquez has conceded it will be his physical fitness, not his mental drive, that will force his retirement.

'From the depths of despair' - Marquez wins world championship at Grand Prix Japan

Video credit: TNT Sports

Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez believes his past injuries will cause him to retire "sooner" than any desire to succeed on the track.

Marquez claimed his seventh world title in the format last year after a five-year gap between championship wins.

The 32-year-old completed a remarkable comeback following an injury to his right arm in 2020. An initial three surgeries caused him to miss the rest of that season, but he was able to return for the 2021 season opener.

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However, the Spaniard then needed a fourth surgery in 2022 in order to fully resolve the problem. It took several years for Marquez to adjust his style and comfort before he could properly challenge once again.

He joined Ducati Lenovo ahead of the most recent season, lining up with two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia. The Italian endured a horrendous season as his new team-mate romped away to victory, becoming champion despite another injury forcing him out for the final four race weekends of the season.

TNT Sports pundit and former rider Neil Hodgson has previously written about the impact of crashes on competitors, and during an interview with La Sexta, Marquez confirmed that he was aware his career had already taken its toll on his physical fitness.

"The hardest thing for an athlete is knowing when and how to retire, and how long to keep going," he said.

"I already know I'm going to retire sooner because my body will push me harder than my mind.

"We're in a sport where injuries, because of everything I've risked, have been very kind to me until this final stage."

However, he claimed that it is only his body which would hold him back, because he remains psychologically committed to continuing his racing career.

"I'll have to understand how my body is doing each year, because mentally I'm like a rocket."

Marquez’s current contract with Ducati Lenovo expires at the end of the upcoming season, to be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+, and as well as considering his future on the track, he also is looking ahead to fatherhood.

2025 world champion Marc Marquez wins MotoGP award

Video credit: TNT Sports

The seven-time champion said he would not encourage his children to follow in his footsteps, because of the long shadow his legacy would cast.

"I wouldn’t like it," he explained.

"I think about them, and I can’t help but say, ‘poor boy or girl’. My legacy would be a great burden.

"I don’t know how protective I would be, because I like to be protective a lot.

"Bearing my last name wouldn’t help them at all. It’s clear they would have some advantages, financially, for example.

"They wouldn’t lack anything, but if you don’t lack anything, you don’t have the same hunger."

Stream every race of the 2026 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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