MotoGP title was 'an impossible dream' for Marquez

Marc Marquez says winning his seventh MotoGP world championship at the weekend was "impossible" to foresee after a horrendous run of injuries which made him consider quitting the sport.

Marquez, 32, finished second in Japan to win the title for Ducati and move level with all-time great Valentino Rossi on seven premier-class titles.

It is a position many expected him to reach when he dominated the sport in his 20s, winning six titles in seven years between 2013 and 2019 for the Repsol Honda team.

But then the Spaniard suffered the cruelty of motorcycle racing.

He only managed to compete in one race in 2020, and won a total of six races in five seasons before this year as recovering from multiple injuries took its toll.

He told BBC Sport: "I am super happy and I feel at peace with myself.

"It was a long journey from 2020 a lot of up and downs, a lot of injuries, I was fighting against myself.

"There was one Marc saying stop and another Marc saying continue and fight for your dream, for your goal."

'I was fighting against myself'

Only Giacomo Agostini (eight) has won more top-class world titles than Marc Marquez, who has seven alongside Valentino Rossi

Marquez broke his arm at the start of the 2020 season, which over the course of two years required four operations.

In 2021, a motocross crash resulted in severe concussion.

The following year, double vision meant he had to miss many races, and in 2023 he broke his ankle, ribs and fingers.

He admits he was close to leaving the sport and - like most observers - did not see a seventh title coming.

But Marquez has been reborn since joining Ducati for the 2024 season. Last year he won three races on the way to finishing third overall, and this year he has been dominant, winning 11 times to take the title, with his brother Alex in second place.

"This title was the most difficult challenge of my career. It was impossible to believe that I could win again," he said.

"In 2023 and 2022, I was considering stopping my career. Now the next target will be 2026, trying to fight for another championship.

"But for me, the biggest challenge is already done.

"That was to come back from that very bad period of injuries from 2020 to 2024 and now in 2025 close that circle with our world championship."

Marquez came 14th in the standings in 2023 - 371 points behind champion Francesco Bagnaia