Marc Marquez refused to let MotoGP’s summer break disrupt his momentum. He took another step towards the title at the Austrian Grand Prix, continuing one of the most dominant seasons ever.

Marquez crashed in qualifying, which meant he only started fourth after appearing the favourite for pole position. But Francesco Bagnaia sounded defeated before the Sprint, which underlines the Spaniard’s psychological advantage.

He duly capitalised on his brother Alex’s mistake to win Saturday’s Sprint, making it 12 victories from a possible 13 in the shorter format. And while he met more resistance from Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi in the Grand Prix, Marquez fought his way through to make it six on the bounce.

He’s now 142 points clear at the top of the world championship. If he maintains his win streak until Motegi, he’ll match his longest run ever and his most successful season to date.

Marco Rigamonti says Marc Marquez is ‘complete’ in 2025

In an interview with AS, Marquez’s Ducati crew chief Marco Rigamonti was asked to describe the riders he’d worked with in one word. For instance, he called Johann Zarco ‘honest’ and emphasised Aleix Espargaro’s ‘heart’.

But when Marquez’s name was mentioned, he simply said, ‘Complete’. And that perfectly sums up the 32-year-old’s season so far.

Marquez made a couple of mistakes in the early races, blowing likely victories in Austin and Jerez by crashing, but since then, he’s been virtually faultless. Even on the rare occasion he falters in qualifying, he’s invariably scythed his way back through in the race.

CATEGORYMARQUEZNEXT BESTPoints418A. Marquez (276)Wins9Four riders (1)Podiums11Two riders (7)Poles7Quartararo (4)Sprint wins12A. Marquez (1)Sprint podiums13A. Marquez (11)Marc Marquez has crushed the MotoGP field in 2025

Regardless of the track conditions or configuration, he has been the rider to beat. Only in his hands does the GP25 look like the fastest bike on the grid.

One could argue that this is the best version of Marquez ever, even after four injury-ravaged years at Honda at the start of the decade. He’s shown that he hasn’t lost speed and, after clearing 200 starts, he’s wiser than ever.

“Surely the Marquez of today isn’t the same as in previous years, with the experience he has now and his ability to help the coaches,” Rigamonti adds.

There could be a seat open next to Marc Marquez at Ducati – does anyone want it?

It’s not inconceivable that Marquez indirectly and inadvertently forces Bagnaia out of Ducati. Compared to fellow GP25 rider Fabio di Giannantonio (77 points behind), he appears to be performing well.

But Marquez, universally regarded as one of MotoGP’s ‘aliens’, has elevated the benchmark to a standard that’s almost impossible to reach. And as Bagnaia unravels, riders who would previously have loved to race for Ducati might be having second thoughts.

Indeed, it was telling that Austrian Grand Prix star Fermin Aldeguer said he wanted Marquez to retire ‘soon’, so he could step up to the factory team without facing the ultimate opponent. There may not be anybody on the grid who can meaningfully challenge this version of the Ant of Cervera, even on equal machinery.