Marc Marquez: “Fighting against Lorenzo, Rossi, Pedrosa” was “an exam”

When Marc Marquez arrived in MotoGP in 2013, he was thrown straight into a title battle against Yamaha’s multi-time champions Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, plus his own Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

Marquez prevailed at the very final round and, reflecting on his debut season 13-years later, described each event of that season as ‘an exam’.

“When I arrived in MotoGP, every weekend fighting against Lorenzo, Valentino, Dani was an exam,” said Marquez, Ducati’s current title leader.

“It was like, I need to ride in a perfect way if I want to follow them.

“Then, when you arrive at that Valencia race, fighting for the championship, it's the most trickiest point for a rider.

“Because you need to manage not only what happens on the race track, but all the atmosphere around you, to stay calm and keep focused.”

Marquez’s early title battles included high-pressure showdowns on and off the track against his big-name rivals. 

Most have healed with time, although the rift with Rossi remains.

All of which is in stark contrast to the current title situation, where Marc’s nearest world championship rival is none other than his younger brother Alex.

“It's a pleasure to fight against my brother, because if I fight against him and I lose, it stays in the family!” Marc said.

“But apart from jokes, we know each other and the most important thing is that that situation in the championship didn't change our relationship.

“We are even more tight than ever… I want the best for him, and he wants the best for me.”

Marc takes a 22-point lead over Alex into this weekend’s British MotoGP.

Marc’s factory Ducati team-mate and former double champion Francesco Bagnaia is best of the rest, 51 points behind in third.