Marc Marquez admits ‘my body will force me to retire before my mind does’

Marc Marquez admits his physical health will ultimately decide when he brings his MotoGP career to an end, with several major crashes having taken a toll on his body.

With nine world championships including seven titles in MotoGP, Marquez is among the most successful riders in the history of motorcycle racing. However, his career has also been blighted by multiple injuries, most notably the right arm fracture he sustained at Jerez in 2020 that required four operations.

Although the 2025 campaign marked a return to championship-winning form, his revival was again interrupted when Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi struck him at the Indonesian Grand Prix, forcing him into further surgery.

Having spent the winter break recovering from the injury, Marquez is expected to sign a contract extension with Ducati until the end of the 2028  season, by which time he would almost be 36 years old. 

Speaking with Spanish TV channel La Sexta, which produced a special programme on his story of overcoming adversity, Marquez revealed his lesser-known side and touched on several personal aspects.

“The most difficult thing for an athlete is knowing when and how to retire, and how long to stretch it out,” he said.

“I already know that I will retire earlier because my body will force me to, more than my mind. We’re in a sport in which injuries, for everything I’ve risked, have respected me a lot until this last phase. I’ll have to understand every year how my body is doing, because mentally I’m like a rocket.”

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP via Getty Images

Marquez returned to training on an off-road bike in December after medical checks showed that the callus on the shoulder fracture had consolidated properly. Earlier this month, he also rode the Panigale V4 superbike at the Aspar Circuit in Valencia. 

The Spaniard’s intention is to arrive in the best possible physical condition for the first test of 2026, which will be held at Sepang from 3-5 February. So Marquez reflected on his crash in Indonesia, which marked the latest setback in the most complicated period of his career.

“In an injury, you go through three periods,” he said. “In the first, you don’t want to know anything about anyone, you’re destroyed. I won my last world championship and I spent three weeks at home without seeing anything. The pain brings out your ‘bad temper’ and you take it out on those close to you. 

“Then there’s the period when you think you’re already fine but, in reality, you’re not yet. That’s where they stop me and I let myself be stopped. And the last phase is the one marked by patience. You want to get on a bike, but you mustn’t.”