Marc Márquez hampered by injuries: "I will retire earlier because of my body, not my mind."

Absent from MotoGP Since his fourteenth crash of the season at the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix, Marc Márquez has been preparing for his return to racing in 2026. However, his future in the sport remains uncertain. His contract with Ducati only runs until the end of the 2026 season, before the regulation changes scheduled for 2027.

For several years, the Catalan has suffered a series of injuries, risking the loss of his right arm. While he is now more patient in his recovery than before, his body undeniably bears the marks of these numerous accidents.

Marc Márquez, however, does not plan to hang up his gloves anytime soon; the flame still burns brightly within him. For me, the most difficult thing for an athlete is knowing when and how to retire. he explained to the Spanish channel The Sixth. Should I continue or not? If the passion is still there and my body holds up… I know I will retire earlier because of my body, not my mind. »

Number 93 therefore intends to listen to his body. So I need to understand, year after year, how my body reacts, he concedes. Mentally, it's like a rocket: the fuel is there, but you have to understand how and when to use it. »

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Living with pain

The nine-time world champion has experienced injuries. So much so that pain no longer affects him in the same way. While his high pain tolerance helped him overcome suffering, it also allowed him to push himself, sometimes too far. This has helped me on many occasions, but on other occasions, it has aggravated the injury. "admits the native of Cervera.

He therefore learned to deal with the consequences of his profession. I live with it; you get used to it. You know you can't do certain things or sleep a certain way anymore, because if you sleep on your right side, you wake up with aches and pains. Before, I loved playing padel with friends or going to the river to throw pebbles. Now, you know that if I do that three or four times, I'm sore for two days. From now on, I avoid doing it. explains the elder of the Márquez brothers. I need to live with it in order to be 100% on the motorcycle. »

To prepare for his return to 100% ahead of the pre-season tests scheduled for February 3-5, 2026 in Sepang (Malaysia), Marc Márquez took the controls of a motorcycle again on December 22, 2025. Accompanied by his brother Álex, he rode a Ducati 450MX in flat-track on the Alcarras circuit (Spain).

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