Marc Marquez is poised to secure his seventh MotoGP world championship at Motegi this weekend, capping a season of dominance that would see him match the great Valentino Rossi’s title tally.
The Spanish Ducati rider sits on a remarkable 512 points and needs only three more than his closest challenger, brother Alex Marquez, to seal the title with five race weekends to spare in the 22-event calendar.
Victory in Japan would mark his first championship since 2019 and complete a remarkable comeback from a career-threatening injury. Marquez broke his right arm in 2020 and has since battled through multiple surgeries and setbacks.
Now 32, Marquez has been in unstoppable form throughout 2025. His points tally is already a new single-season record in MotoGP, and his win in San Marino two weeks ago was his 11th in 16 races. He has also triumphed in 14 of the 16 sprint races this year.
“We’ll approach Motegi the same way, maintaining the same performance level we’ve shown in all these races,” said Marquez. “There are six events left in the season but we want to wrap up the title race as soon as possible.”
Despite crashing out of the sprint in San Marino while leading, Marquez quickly bounced back, overtaking pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi in the main race to secure his 99th career victory across MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3.
His relentless push for the title has been aided by the inconsistent form of team-mate and two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia, who has not finished higher than seventh in his past four races and has just one win to his name this season. Injuries have also derailed defending champion Jorge Martin’s campaign.
Alex Marquez has emerged as his brother’s closest competitor, sitting almost 100 points ahead of third-placed Bagnaia. Though the title appears out of reach, he remains focused on a strong finish.
“We’ll continue on our path to the runner-up spot in the championship, which would be a really great result,” said Alex after the San Marino round.
Last year’s Japanese Grand Prix saw Bagnaia win both the sprint and the main race, while Marc Marquez, then riding for Gresini, finished third after a fierce battle with Enea Bastianini. The 2024 scenario is starkly different, with Marquez now leading the championship charge.
He will also be hoping to treat fans in Japan to a repeat of his Lionel Messi-inspired celebration, which he revealed in San Marino — removing his racing leathers and holding them aloft in homage to Messi’s iconic 2017 goal celebration against Real Madrid.
“It looks like a matter of time but I want to keep the same mentality,” said Marquez. “Now we need to close as soon as possible, but I know that Alex is also super fast, and he’s also fighting for second place in the championship.”
