The 17th round of the MotoGP, the Japanese Grand Prix, was held from September 26th to 28th at Motegi Mobility Resort in Tochigi Prefecture, and Marc Marquez (Ducati) came in second in the final race to become the champion.
From glory to hardships, beginning with injury in 2020
To talk about Marc Marquez (Ducati) winning the championship in the 2025 season, we must first consider 2020. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the first race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, was held in July. Marquez crashed in the final race of that first race, the Spanish Grand Prix, and broke his right humerus.
He would go on to suffer several serious injuries, but the most significant was the fractured right humerus, which ultimately required four surgeries.
During that time, European manufacturers rose to prominence. Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers fell behind Ducati and others. The “Marquez and Honda” package that once dominated the season was no longer the strongest, and it became difficult to even get on the podium, let alone win.
In 2023, Marquez decided to leave Honda. In the 2024 season, he competed for Ducati’s satellite team, Gresini Racing MotoGP, gradually regaining his confidence. This season, he moved to Ducati’s factory team, Ducati Lenovo Team, and has dominated the season with his former strength. By the 16th round, the San Marino Grand Prix, he had won 14 sprint races and 11 final races.
Marquez finished second and shouted,
Thus, Marquez entered the Japanese Grand Prix in a position where he was one step closer to winning the championship. If he could build a lead of 185 points or more over Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez’s younger brother, who was in second place in the championship standings at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, Marquez’s title would be decided.
He was third in Qualifying 2 (Q2), and started from the front row in Saturday afternoon’s sprint race, finishing second. Even for Marquez, who has won six premier class championships with Honda, this race was different from usual.
“I was in a defensive position, riding defensively. I was more cautious than usual with everything.”
Marquez went into Sunday’s final race knowing that if he won or came second, he would be crowned champion, regardless of Alex’s results.
In a replay of the sprint race, his teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) started from pole position and led the race. Early in the race, Márquez ran in third place, waiting for Pedro Acosta (KTM) in front of him to start wearing out his tires. Eventually, Acosta began to slow down, and Márquez passed him to move up to second place.
At one point, white smoke was seen rising from the exhaust of Bagnaia, who was in the lead. Márquez was understandably frightened when he saw this. At the time, Márquez was riding behind Bagnaia, and if anyone was going to fall first, it would have been Márquez. Fortunately, Bagnaia took the checkered flag in first place, avoiding the nightmare of a crash for Márquez.
The moment he crossed the finish line in second place, Marquez’s championship win was sealed.
During the cool-down lap after the finish, Márquez screamed. He screamed and cried. It was a side of him we’d never seen before.
“It’s a very strange feeling. Of course I’m enjoying it, but at the same time, part of me isn’t enjoying it. I don’t know why, but I just feel a sense of peace inside. I’ve been fighting so many things these past few years… But the hardest part was Marc fighting the Marc (inside me).”
“One Marc said, ‘You should do it this way,’ and the other Marc said, ‘It’s another way.’ One said, ‘Don’t do it,’ and the other, ‘Keep going.’ But in the end, I followed my instincts, gave 100 percent, and never gave up. And I just tried. ‘Try’ – that’s all there is to it. I tried, and I did it.”
“So right now, I just want to enjoy this moment. I know you’re going to ask this, but I don’t want to relive what I’ve been through. I just want to enjoy the moment.”
This is his first title in six years, since 2019, and his seventh in the premier class. Including his one title in the 125cc class and one in the Moto2 class, this is his ninth overall title. No rider had ever won a MotoGP World Championship title after a five-year hiatus, making Márquez the first rider to do so.
The champion’s T-shirt that Marquez wore that day had the words “More than a number” engraved on it. “To me, this title means more than just a championship,” Marquez said. What Marquez achieved that day could not be explained by numbers or words alone; it was something far more valuable.
