{"id":937156,"date":"2026-10-22T17:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937156\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T17:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:48:10","slug":"marquez-accepts-that-current-motogp-contract-could-be-his-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/937156\/","title":{"rendered":"Marquez accepts that current MotoGP contract could be his last"},"content":{"rendered":"

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez<\/a> reckons there’s a good chance of him retiring when his next Ducati contract expires, admitting that he will do so as \u201ca free man\u201d – regardless of whether he has any more titles.<\/p>\n

In 2025, ahead of the Qatar season opener, the Spaniard was unequivocal when asked where he saw himself in three years\u2019 time: \u201cExactly where I am now: racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since giving that answer, however, events have moved at breakneck speed for the now 33-year-old. He dominated 2025 to claim his seventh title, six years after his previous crown, but late in the season he injured his already battered right arm in a crash at Indonesia.<\/p>\n

That fall forced him into yet another lengthy rehabilitation period, and, months later, with this season\u2019s championship already underway, come to terms with the new reality he faces on the bike, particularly at certain types of circuits.<\/p>\n

With all that behind him, Marquez gave a considerably different answer to the same question this time around, suggesting that the contract he signed with Ducati over the winter, which runs until the end of 2028, has a strong chance of being his last.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, it\u2019s a little more complicated to answer that question,” he told Autosport ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. “I don\u2019t know exactly, but, if I had to put a figure on it, I\u2019d say there\u2019s a 70% chance that I\u2019ll have retired within three years, and a 30% chance that I\u2019ll still be racing.”<\/p>\n

The 102 points he clawed back from the championship lead in just seven races, between the Italian and San Marino grands prix, made it abundantly clear that his ambition remained undiminished.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Watch: Marc M\u00e1rquez on Retirement, Acosta and the Next King of MotoGP<\/p>\n

Yet the cathartic experience of winning the 2025 title had also brought him a sense of peace and serenity. It was such a profound shift that winning or losing the 2026 championship – he currently trails Aprilia’s Jorge Martin<\/a> by two points – or those he might contest in the years ahead, no longer keeps him awake at night.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrecisely because of last year\u2019s title, I now feel calm and relaxed. That also explains why, in races where I don\u2019t feel entirely comfortable, I can finish sixth or seventh,\u201d the Ducati rider explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt no point in my career had I accepted finishing sixth or seventh, or being as far behind the winner as I have sometimes been this year. That simply wasn\u2019t something I could entertain. But, after winning my last world championship, I\u2019ve accepted that the sun doesn\u2019t shine every day.<\/p>\n

“That title changed the way I\u2019ll retire when the time comes. From now on, whether I win one more or one less won\u2019t make any difference. When I retire, I\u2019ll do so as a free man, at peace with myself.”<\/p>\n

The adrenaline rush, relief and sense of liberation that came from proving to himself that he could reclaim the throne after so much suffering and pain, left him feeling \u201cempty\u201d and with no desire to get back on the bike for several days.<\/p>\n

It would have been understandable to think that, after such an emotional release, he might consider calling it a day and walking away despite having a year left on his contract. However, the crash in\u00a0Lombok put another carrot in front of him to chase.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t tempted to retire because I didn\u2019t have time to get to that point, as I got injured again a week later [in Indonesia],” he said. “As long as I have an injury I can recover from, allowing me to keep racing and try to win again, I\u2019m not going to retire. That much is clear.”<\/p>\n

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– The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez reckons there’s a good chance of him retiring when his next Ducati contract…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":937157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,27784,8542,4280,503876,5745,806,805,803,804,126450,85],"class_list":["post-937156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-gp","tag-ducati-team","tag-marc-marquez","tag-marquez-accepts-that-current-motogp-contract-could-be-his-last","tag-motogp","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-phillip-island-grand-prix-circuit","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}