Newly-crowned MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will take no further part in the 2025 season, missing the remaining three races of the year as he continues to recuperate from the shoulder injuries sustained when Aprilia racer Marco Bezzecchi crashed the pair out of the Indonesian Grand Prix three weeks ago.
Marquez was already absent from the Australian Grand Prix last weekend at Phillip Island and was long known to be missing this weekend’s Malaysian round as well, with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro deputising for him at both grands prix.
However, it had initially been hoped that Marquez would be able to return to action when the series returns to Europe at Portimao in just over two weeks’ time – and ahead of not just the final round of the championship in Valencia but also its important post-race test.
That won’t happen, though, with Ducati confirming on Thursday that the nine-time world champion will continue to sit out the rest of the season even as his shoulder recovery goes well.
“The medical team that is monitoring his recovery has confirmed that the clinical evolution of the coracoid fracture and the ligament injury is positive and is proceeding normally,” Ducati reported. “However, Marc will have to spend four weeks with the arm completely immobilized before beginning rehabilitation, so it’s impossible to think about his return to competition this year”
Marquez himself described the decision to end his season as “the most appropriate, clever and consistent course of action”.
“We know that a difficult winter awaits us, with a lot of work, to recover my muscles to 100% and be ready for 2026,” he added.
“It’s a shame because it’s very important for us to have him on track, but we know perfectly that the priority is to recover and return 100% fit for the next season,” said Ducati general manager and tech chief Gigi Dall’Igna. “We fully support the decision and are convinced that not taking further risks is the best choice for everyone.”
The news means that Marquez will not complete a race in 2025 following the Japanese Grand Prix, where he clinched his seventh premier class world title over second-placed brother Alex.
Marquez’s final 2025 stats
18 rounds
8 pole positions
14 sprint wins
16 sprint podiums
11 GP wins
15 GP podiums
545 points
One question that remains to be answered is who will replace him for the remaining two rounds after this weekend’s race in Sepang – with 2025 World Superbike runner-up Nicolo Bulega a potential candidate to take over from test rider Pirro.
Set to become a part of Ducati’s MotoGP testing line-up in 2026 as the series prepares to switch to Pirelli – which already supplies the tyres raced by Bulega in WSBK – the former Moto2 racer could a valuable head start on his second job for next season now that the WSBK campaign is wrapped up.
He had initially been touted as a potential replacement for Marquez at Sepang this weekend, but is reported to have said that he was unwilling to jump straight onto a MotoGP machine without a prior test, something that there may now be at least some theoretical scope for.