Marc Marquez’s rookie MotoGP season has gone down in history. The Spaniard won just his second-ever race and went on to become the world champion.
Marquez was the first newcomer to achieve that feat in the MotoGP era, and the youngest-ever premier-class champion. It’s one of the finest achievements ever seen in motorsport.
According to Neil Hodgson, Marquez rode like he ‘didn’t care’ at the finale in Valencia, the race where he was crowned champion. That resistance to pressure has characterised his storied career.
He’d already displayed his superstar potential before he broke into the series. Marquez won the title in the 125cc class (the forerunner to Moto3) in 2010 with 10 victories in 17 races.
And across two seasons at the intermediate level, he picked up 16 wins and 23 podiums in 32 races, beating Pol Espargaro to the title in 2012.
Neil Hodgson says sceptics thought Marc Marquez’s riding style would never work
Hodgson was discussing the imminent arrival of Toprak Razgatlioglu on TNT Sports before the Aragon Grand Prix last weekend.
Some MotoGP insiders expect Razgatlioglu to struggle at Pramac in 2026, suggesting that he can’t replicate his successful World Superbikes techniques on Michelin tyres.
However, Hodgson points out that Marquez faced similar scepticism when he broke into the series. ‘Experts’ were adamant that he’d ‘end up in hospital’ if he tried to carry over his Moto2 approach, but they were emphatically silenced.
Marquez was 20 when he made his debut, while two-time WSBK champion Razgatlioglu will be 29.
“A lot of experts are saying his riding style won’t suit these tyres and a MotoGP bike,” Hodgson said. “The same experts said, when Marc Marquez jumped on a MotoGP bike, ‘you cannot ride a MotoGP bike the way he rides a Moto2 bike, if he rides like that he’ll end up in hospital, it will not work out at all’.
“He won his second-ever Grand Prix and the world championship in his first year.”
Fabio Quartararo explains how Marc Marquez has changed at Ducati
To this day, Ducati riders are trying to copy Marquez’s riding style. He continues to set the benchmark, so they’re naturally studying his data and looking to emulate his methods.
But crew chief Marco Rigamonti says it’s not that simple. If it were, then he may be facing greater competition – the Ant of Cervera leads the standings by 32 points ahead of his brother Alex.
The Marquez of 2025 isn’t quite as aggressive as his 2013 equivalent. He doesn’t need to override the Ducati, clearly the best motorcycle on the grid.
Indeed, Fabio Quartararo says Marquez is now much ‘cleaner’ after his 2023 Honda exit. He wants to become the most successful MotoGP rider of all time at Luigi Dall’Igna’s team.
