Marc Marquez shares new revelation about length of Ducati stay

Marc Marquez insists he wants to stay at Ducati beyond his new two-year contract.

Marquez sent shockwaves through the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up by winning the chase for the official Ducati.

He will partner Pecco Bagnaia while Ducati have seen Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi and the Pramac team depart.

Marquez, currently 31-years-old, will be the second-oldest rider on next year’s grid.

He was asked if his latest contract will be his last one in MotoGP, but he told Speedweek: “You never know, but I don't wish for it.

“When I feel competitive... and competitive means being in the top six at every race...

“Very competitive means being in the top three.

“To win a championship you need all the tools, you need all the things in the right place. That's not the case for me at the moment.

“But I want to stay longer than these two years. Even two years later.”

That desire would take Marquez into 2027 and beyond, the onset of the new MotoGP regulations.

Those new rules might, in theory, allow a rival manufacturer to rise up and test Ducati’s dominance.

Marquez is still in the championship mix this season as a Gresini rider, although he hasn’t yet won his first race on a Ducati.

He is third in the championship, 56 points behind leader Bagnaia.

Marquez is seeking a ninth world championship which would tie Valentino Rossi’s tally.

His first in the premier class arrived in his rookie season, aged 20, beating legends Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

Next year he must fend off young guns like Bagnaia, Martin and Pedro Acosta.

He was asked which version of himself had the harder task, and replied: “32-year-old Marc Marquez.

“When you arrive here as a 20-year-old, you know MotoGP but you don't know anything about what's going on.

“You just rely on your natural instincts, you fight against big names and you have nothing to lose.

“Nowadays, young riders come in at a different pace, without injuries and with a natural instinct.

“When I follow Acosta, Martin or Bagnaia, who are five or even more than 10 years younger than me, they ride in a natural way.

“Sometimes they don't think much about the bike. That can sometimes be positive.

“I understand that this is the natural process in every athlete's life.

“It's not like 'Marquez was better than Lorenzo and Rossi when he arrived'.

“That year I was better. But every athlete has their moment.

“And once you get to the top, you have to work harder and harder to make the descent a little smoother. If you can do that, you'll have a longer career ahead of you.

“I don't know if this decline has already begun for me or if it will take another year or maybe two or three. We'll understand that in about five years."