Marc Marquez explains how “instinct” has driven his MotoGP career

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez has explained how “instinct” has driven him to success in his grand prix career and how he has dealt with rival criticism.

The 32-year-old made his debut in the premier class in 2013 and went on to win six world titles inside of seven years with Honda.

In that time, he engaged in rivalries with the likes of Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and - most notably - Valentino Rossi.

From the off in his rookie season, Marc Marquez ruffled the feathers of the established stars, which is something he now looks back on with pride as he says he has always acted on “instinct”.

“I had my share with Pedrosa, with Lorenzo, I had my share with Valentino,” Marquez said in an interview with DAZN.

“They're colleagues, but they're also rivals, and what I emphasise, or what I'm proud of, is that when you arrive at 20 years old, it's easy for all those statements to affect you.

“And they didn't affect me, neither in my character nor in my way of riding.

“Because I didn't know how to do it any other way.

“I rode by instinct, I still ride by instinct. The interviews, the celebrations, by instinct, because I don't like to prepare anything.”

Read more: Why Marc Marquez will have a hard time even beating himself to 2025 MotoGP title

Over the years, Marquez has come in for criticism from rivals for his aggressive approach to racing, while at some tracks he still receives choruses of boos from fans.

This prompted a backlash from his current Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi after the sprint at the Italian Grand Prix, after some of the crowd booed Marquez’s win.

“With rivals, in the end, you have to take the good with the bad, and when they say bad things to me, it motivates me,” Marquez added.

At the midpoint of the 2025 season, Marquez is on course for his most dominant season ever, having won eight grands prix and 11 sprints from the opening 12 rounds.

This has given him a 120-point lead in the standings with 10 rounds remaining.