Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?

Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport

The 2022 season concluded with Marc Marquez having achieved two milestones. The first was his 100th podium in MotoGP, which he celebrated with a second-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix in October. Given his 99th came in 2021 at the Emilia Romagna GP, where he was still basically riding with one arm, a century of podiums was a longer time coming than anyone would have predicted. But then, nothing that has happened to Marquez over the past three years has been remotely predictable.

Despite a Honda bike that was proving difficult to manage, there was nothing to suggest during the COVID-delayed start to the 2020 season at Jerez that Marquez wouldn’t be adding another premier class title to his haul of six in seven years in MotoGP. The crash four laps from the end of the Spanish GP that resulted in him badly breaking his right arm began a prolonged period of misery for the Spaniard, one that wouldn’t really come to an end until he stood on that podium at Phillip Island.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.