Marc Marquez has revealed he was questioning if his “time was over” in MotoGP towards the end of his stint at Honda as he grappled with injuries and an uncompetitive bike.
After winning six premier class titles during his first seven seasons in the premier class with Honda, Marquez was forced to accept a new reality when an arm injury sustained in the 2020 Jerez race altered his career.
Requiring a total of four operations over multiple years, Marquez was sidelined from racing for prolonged periods, just as rival Ducati was establishing itself as the new force in MotoGP.
By the time the Spaniard had regained full fitness, Honda’s RC213V had slumped to become the worst bike in MotoGP, leaving victories and podiums largely out of reach.
Marquez was still able to outperform all his Honda stablemates and even scored a third-place finish at Motegi last year, but with the writing on the wall he took the decision to leave the Japanese marque in favour of a satellite deal with Gresini.
The gamble paid off handsomely as he not only regained his race-winning form this year, but also managed to strike a deal with Ducati to join its factory team from 2025.
Recalling the time he spent at Honda, Marquez admitted that things got so tough for him that he thought his MotoGP career was over.
“Two years ago, one year ago, many people - even me - [had doubts]. I had some question marks if my time was over,” he told MotoGP’s YouTube channel.
“It was not like [in the end] this because I took the decision [to join Gresini] because when I will retire some day I don't want to have any regrets to myself that you don't try this, you don't try this way.
“I will try everything that I have in my hands to feel competitive and to win titles and to fight for titles every year.”
Despite riding last year’s Ducati GP23 bike, albeit with some upgrades, Marquez has clinched three grand prix victories in 2024 and is currently fighting with factory rider Enea Bastianini for third in the championship.
The 31-year-old said he would have been announcing his retirement from MotoGP at this stage had his Gresini move not been successful.
“For me already the move that I did last year has been a success because if not, this year I will announce my retirement,” he said. “One year ago I had a lot of question marks in my mind, I had many doubts.
“Then after one year all of these doubts disappeared and I came back to a competitive level. We will not say like the level from 2019, we will say in a competitive level that is enough to continue working, to continue pushing, and especially to have that special spirit of MotoGP.
“And we taste again that victory, that podium, and that special intensity when you are fighting at the top is different.”
Marquez’s triumph in September’s Aragon Grand Prix ended a 1000-day victory drought stretching back to his trio of successes in 2021 with Honda.
While he previously downplayed the importance of returning to winning ways in 2024, stressing that his main goal was to prepare for his move next year, he admitted that claiming victories this season was key in helping to overcome his doubts that surrounded him at Honda.
“Victories give you a lot of confidence,” he said. “After three-four years, struggling a lot after four surgeries in the arm, and after not getting any good results, you start to lose confidence, you start to have some question marks - Is it the bike? Is it me? Is it my physical condition?
“Step by step you need to answer that question and rebuild that confidence with some podiums, races, pole positions, sprint victory and - then main race victory was super important.”
