The nine-time world champion is already working at full capacity to get back to the top after the injury. In the sights are the tenth crown and a team’s project to develop the champions of tomorrow
There are two months left from the first MotoGP test in Sepang on 3-4-5 February 2026 and just under three months from the first 2026 MotoGP round which will take place in Thailand from 27 February to 1 March and there is already a rider committed “full time” on a physical and mental level to present himself, from the first race, in great shape. We are talking about the 2025 MotoGP champion Marc Marquez (in 2025 victories in 11 races and 14 Sprints), forced to miss the last four 2025 Grands Prix after the injury suffered in the Indonesian GP.
recovery
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“It’s a difficult winter – says Marquez – because I have to recover my muscles one hundred percent for 2026”. Yes, a 2026 season that promises to be anything but predictable even if the champion from Cervera, with the Rossa di Borgo Panigale, remains the rider to beat. Marquez continues the recovery program very closely with specific and targeted work on muscle tone, in particular that of the right arm, affected by the latest injury to Mandalika and the previous surgeries. The roadmap, in this recovery phase, includes targeted physiotherapy, cardio training (such as running or cycling) and, obviously, work in the gym with weights.
The goal
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“If you don’t take care of and respect your body, you won’t enjoy the moments you fight for,” repeats the 9-time world champion. Marc, in addition to being number one on the track, has always been a physically and mentally extraordinary tireless athlete, capable of rebirths after situations of great difficulty on a physical and also a technical level, with poorly competitive bikes, as happened in his last seasons on Honda. When to win, it’s not just a question of talent and class, but also of mentality. It applies today to Marc Marquez as it did to the triumphant riders in previous eras of the MotoGP, from 1949 onwards. Marc Marquez’s goal for 2026 is only one: to win world title No. 10, placing himself in third place overall after Giacomo Agostini (15 350 and 500 world titles) and Angel Nieto (13 50 and 125 world titles), the most successful of the MotoGP era. This is enough to understand the importance and value of the 2026 season for Marquez and, consequently, the level of challenge for his opponents.
“Rossi question”
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Then there is the “Rossi question”, the rider from Pesaro has 9 world titles, on a par with Mike Hailwood (250, 350, 500 world champion) and Carlo Ubbiali (125 and 250 world champion). Both, Marquez and Rossi, are close in the world rankings, today with the same titles. Then there is the question of “races won”: in front of everyone there is Agostini (122 world races won: 8 in the 500 and 7 in the 350), then Rossi (115 world races won: 89 in 500/MotoGP; 14 in 250; 12 in 125) with Marquez at 99 career victories, therefore 16 victories from Valentino and 23 from James. In short, Marquez, already at the end of 2026, could lead everyone in this ranking of “big among the big”.
the challenge continues
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The “challenge” between the two rivals Marc-Valentino, or Valentino-Marc does the same, could continue even when Marc Marquez – 33 years old on February 17th – hangs up his helmet to dedicate himself full time to a “school” to raise new talents, more or less along the lines of what Rossi has already done with the VR46 Academy a stone’s throw from Tavullia. Currently, the Marquez brothers do not have a real Academy but manage their professional interests through “Vertical Management SL”, a management company founded in 2022 which deals with the image rights of the two brothers with manager Jaime Martinez, also supporting young riders, not as a pastime, but with the aim of bringing them, protagonists, into the world championship. Among these “promises” stands out the 17-year-old Maximo Quiles, on the tracks since the age of 6, the new starting rider for Team Aspar in Moto3 2026. “We have been helping him and advising him for three years – says Marc Marquez – he is very talented. We try to guide him as best as possible, drawing on my experience, that of Alex and that of Vertical in general. The talent is there, the work ethic is there, because he has also grown a lot in this respect we have instilled in him the discipline necessary to be an athlete, and now he must simply continue his journey without changing anything: he must stay grounded and persevere in his work until he truly reaches his full potential.”
clear ideas
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What can I say? That the Marquez have clear ideas on and off the track, including about the future. Meanwhile, the 2026 season is knocking on the doors: for Marc Marquez, a season of extraordinary value. Marc doesn’t want to miss his goal of title number 10. This leads to an even more difficult season for his rivals. Starting with teammate Pecco Bagnaia who must emerge from his “dark forest” of 2025.
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