“Super human” Marc Marquez lauded after “€20m” decision pays off
“It’s been super human. He has been to the depths of despair"
Marc Marquez’s decision to break his massive Honda contract paid off on Saturday in Aragon when he returned to winning ways.
Marquez ended a near three-year wait by dominating the sprint race at the Aragon MotoGP.
It was his first victory on a Ducati but the wider meaning was a return to the top step of the podium for an all-time great whose career might have already ended.
“He won the race in Misano in 2021 then had one of the biggest crashes we’ve seen in motorcycle racing,” said TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson from Aragon.
“When he came back he looked awkward, he couldn’t ride properly. He gave in, his arm was so bad. To admit that…
“The fourth [surgery], the major one, he couldn’t guarantee it would work.
“What we’re forgetting is that he went through all that, then came back onto the worst bike on the grid! His Honda was a second per lap off the pace. Honda were nowhere.
“He couldn’t get inside the top 10. Whenever he did, he would override, keep crashing, keep smashing himself.
“He got the point where he said ‘no more, I want to win so bad that I’ll break my contract’.
“He should have been on the Honda this year, he had the contract.
“He walked away from €20m.”
Marquez’s crash in Jerez resulted in four surgeries, and the final one was a career-threatener.
His comeback was brutal, riding a misfiring Honda which frequently launched him off.
At the Sachsenring last year - historically where he had dominated - Marquez crashed his Honda five times before the race even started, and withdrew.
He has rebuilt at Gresini Ducati this year on a year-old Desmosedici, and has earned a promotion into their official 2025 team.
“It’s been super human. He has been to the depths of despair,” Michael Laverty said.
“The psychology… thinking ‘this is over, my dream, my passion…’
“He was an eight-time world champion but felt he had more to give.
“To give away those millions, to go back to a satellite team and rebuild his career.
“He did it with question marks over whether he still had the speed.
“To do it on the ‘23 Ducati, at home…”
Marquez starts Sunday's grand prix on pole position, having also excelled during Saturday's qualifying.
