MotoGP: Marc Marquez scripts historic comeback with seventh world title
To the outside world, the sight of Marc Marquez winning his seventh MotoGP world championship title seemed destined this season. The Spaniard had dominated proceedings in his Ducati — 11 race wins, 15 podiums, multiple records shattered, and a commanding lead, growing every race weekend.
All that stood between Marc and another historic crown was a simple equation: finish just three points ahead of his younger brother, Alex Marquez, at the Motul Grand Prix in Japan. When Marc crossed the line in second place, safely ahead of Alex, the moment carried an emotional punch that he could not hold back.
The 2025 champion wept as he circled the track. Rivals slowed to congratulate him. Alex, who had parked ahead, celebrated as if it were his own triumph, while the Ducati team swarmed its ace. Marc buried his head in his hands before letting out a scream of pure relief and joy.
He had finally reclaimed the crown he last wore in 2019 — a journey marked by more than 100 crashes and four surgeries that nearly ended his career.
Marc’s first six world championships came in spectacular fashion. He won his first in 2013 at just 20 years old, making him the youngest premier-class champion in history. Between 2013 and 2019, he accumulated six titles, and his fearless style made him a global phenomenon.
The hunger to win was overpowering, but it came at a staggering cost. In 2020, a season shortened and restricted due to the pandemic, Marc suffered an intense crash, resulting in a broken humerus.
Despite the severity of the injury, he rushed his post-surgery comeback too soon and aggravated it. He missed the entire 2020 season and, in the next three years, continued to battle injuries. It was a four-year period of pain, surgeries, setbacks, rehabilitation, and, compounding it all, uncertainty.
But the fire within burned as brightly as ever. Switching to the Ducati Gresini team in 2024, Marc began rediscovering the joy of riding. The Italian outfit soon knew he was destined to move to the factory team the following season — and he delivered on that promise, albeit with the fastest bike on the track.
What followed in Indonesia, however, dampened the mood in the Ducati garage. After a difficult qualifying session, a race incident left Marc with a fractured collarbone. “Not the best way to celebrate the championship, but this is racing,” he later wrote, summing up the bittersweet turn of events.
His triumph, though, has already been immortalised. He claimed his place on the MotoGP trophy, the iconic ‘Tower of Champions’. Seven pieces of silverware now bear his name, yet for Marc, the 2025 one is ‘more than a number’.
Published on Oct 08, 2025