Ex-Marc Marquez MotoGP crew chief recalls “rock bottom” moments

Former Marc Marquez crew chief Santi Hernandez has recalled “rock bottom” moments for the seven-time MotoGP champion during his final year with Honda in 2023.

The 32-year-old Spaniard won his seventh premier class world title in 2025, after dominating the campaign on the factory Ducati with 11 grand prix wins and 14 sprint victories.

It marked his first world title in six years and was the culmination of five years of toil following his serious arm injury in 2020.

Together, Marc Marquez and Santi Hernandez won six titles in seven years at Honda between 2013 and 2019.

Marquez underwent four major operations in the two years following his arm injury in 2020, with it hoped that this would get him back to a good enough level to compete for championships again.

But underwhelming Honda machinery in 2023 led to Marquez leaving HRC a year early to join the Gresini Ducati squad for 2024.

The defining moment of 2023 came in Germany. At a circuit Marquez had dominated in MotoGP, he crashed five times and didn’t start the race.

In a DAZN documentary about his 2025 title win, Hernandez recalls the “rock bottom” days of 2023.

“Logically, in 2023, when he returns, having undergone another operation, another recovery, and getting back on the bike, the results don't come back... Before, he would still say, 'My arm isn't right, it must be my arm,” he said.

“Now, you have another operation; they tell you that your arm will never be the same as before, but you no longer have the limitations you had before.

“Yes, there were limitations, of course. That's just how it is; it's never going to be the same as before.

“But you realise you're coming back, and you say, 'Wow, maybe this wasn't the solution. Maybe my time has come, maybe it's me.'

“You start to doubt yourself, you see that the results aren't coming.

“Falling, one after another, there comes a point where you ask yourself: 'It's me. Maybe it's me. Maybe my sporting career is over. I have to close this chapter now, maybe I should go home.’

“These are moments when you see Marc hit rock bottom.”

Marquez has maintained a good relationship with his old Honda team since moving to Ducati.

When he won the 2025 title in Japan, he shared the podium with Joan Mir, meaning he was able to celebrate in parc ferme with his former Honda crew.