It seems only yesterday that MotoGP fans witnessed the conclusion of a remarkable 2024 season that saw Jorge Martin become the first independent team rider to be crowned Rider’s World Champion since Valentino Rossi in 2001.
Martin finished 116 points ahead of fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez, who eventually finished third during his first year on Ducati machinery.
The 2025 MotoGP championship is less than a month away. The first of 22 rounds is scheduled for March 2 in Buriram, Thailand. Marquez is the overwhelming favourite in the Moto GP betting markets to become a seven-time world champion by capturing his first Rider’s title in six years. Can Marquez end his drought, or is the championship wide open for anyone to win?
The emergence and dominance of the “Ant of Cervera”
Marquez burst onto the MotoGP scene in 2013, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with Repsol Honda. The Spaniard joined motorcycle racing’s elite competition off the back of winning the 125cc World Championship in 2010, finishing second in the 2011 Moto2 World Championship, and winning the title the following year.
During his debut MotoGP season, Marquez finished on the podium in 16 of his 18 races, won six Grand Prix, started on pole nine times, and had 11 fastest laps. Marquez finished the 2013 season with 334 points, a mere four more than Jorge Lorenzo, and won his first Riders’ World Championship at the first time of asking.
Marquez’s performances in 2014 were even better, as he racked up 13 victories from 18 races. He only finished outside the top three in four Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the Czech Republic, 15th in San Marino, 13th in Aragon, and retiring from the Australian Grand Prix. Unsurprisingly, Marquez won back-to-back world championships.
Five retirements hurt Marquez’s title hopes in 2015, and he ultimately finished third. However, the Spanish superstar, infamous for his unique riding style, became a world champion during the next four seasons, including breaking records for points (420) and podium finishes (18); he won 12 of the 19 races he entered.
2020 to 2023 injury plagued years to forget
Marquez signed an unusually long four-year contract with Honda before the 2020 season; most riders’ contracts only last two years. The season could not have gotten off to a worse start, with Marquez falling off his bike in the first round of the championship in Jerez, breaking the humerus (elbow). The severe injury needed surgery to correct it, which ruled him out for the entire 2020 campaign and the first two races of 2021.
The Spaniard struggled for form upon his return to racing, finishing seventh in the Portuguese and ninth in the Spanish Grand Prix. A trio of consecutive retirements dented Marquez’s title hopes. Marquez was eliminated from championship contention despite winning in Germany and then enjoying back-to-back victories in Austin and Misano in Rounds 14-15. He opted to sit out the final two rounds to continue his rehabilitation, having crashed 22 times across 14 races.
2022 was a continuation of issues for the popular Spaniard. After crashing three times during practice in Indonesia, Marquez crashed a fourth time, a violent high-side during a warm-up session, which resulted in an ambulance rushing him to the hospital. Although he was relatively uninjured, doctors diagnosed Marquez with diplopia. That, combined with more surgery on his damaged humerus, Marques missed eight Grand Prix and ultimately finished 13th in the standings.
In 2023, Marquez amassed his lowest-ever points tally in MotoGP season. A disastrous year saw him finish with only 96 points, enough for a 14th-place finish in the world championship. Honda announced they had prematurely terminated Marquez’s contract by mutual agreement and that he would join the Gresini Racing MotoGP team for the 2024 season.
Glimpses of his brilliant best on a Ducati
Nobody knew how the injury-hit Marquez would perform on the Ducati satellite team because he’d spent his MotoGP career on-board a Honda. He started steadily, finishing fourth in Qatar before finishing 16th in Portugal and retiring in Austin. Three podium finishes on the spin renewed Marquez’s confidence.
Marquez won his first MotoGP on a Ducati in Aragon in Round 12, emerged victoriously in San Marino in Round 13, and triumphed in Australia in Round 17. By the season’s conclusion, Marques had ten podium finishes, three wins, two poles, and four fastest laps from 20 races, enough for 392 championship points and third place overall.
Marquez will race for the Factory Ducati team in 2025, racing alongside two-time World Champion Francesco Bagnaia. He replaced Enea Bastianini, who signed for Red Bull KTM Tech3 and beat off competition for the 2024 champion Jorge Martin; Martin signed for Aprilia.
Marquez could run away with proceedings if he stays fit
Ducati dominated MotoGP in 2024. Ducati riders won 19 of the season’s 20 races and finished third in the other. Those incredible results earned Ducati 722 points in the Constructors’ championship, a massive 395 more than second-placed KTM. Honda, with whom Marquez made his name, finished rock bottom with a mere 75 points.
The Ducatis are the best motorcycles in MotoGP. They have both the pace and reliability, a deadly combination in the right hands. The fearless Marquez is arguably still the best MotoGP rider, so putting him on the best bike should result in a seventh world title for the Spaniard. Bookmakers think the same, pricing him as an odds-on favourite to come out on top by the final race in Valencia on November 16.
However, Marquez must find a way to maintain his combative style while reducing the number of crashes as he looks to squeeze out every ounce of performance from his machine. Frequent accidents have taken their toll on Marquez’s body. They may as well hand a fully fit Marquez the trophy, but he is potentially one injury away from finding himself way down the rankings.
