Marc Marquez admits ‘I’m going to retire sooner because of my body’

Seven-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez admits he will “retire sooner because my body will push me harder than my mind” in the coming years.

The 32-year-old completed one of MotoGP’s most significant comeback stories last season, when he romped to a seventh premier class title five years on from a career-threatening arm injury in 2020.

Though missing the final four rounds of 2025 with a shoulder injury, Marc Marquez comes into 2026 as the overwhelming favourite to win the title this year.

His future is also a topic of discussion, as his current deal with Ducati expires at the end of the year, ahead of the 2027 rules reset.

While it is thought he will re-sign with Ducati, the subject of his retirement was brought up during an interview with La Sexta.

“The hardest thing for an athlete is knowing when and how to retire, and how long to keep going,” he said.

“I already know I'm going to retire sooner because my body will push me harder than my mind.

“We're in a sport where injuries, because of everything I've risked, have been very kind to me until this final stage.

“I'll have to understand how my body is doing each year, because mentally I'm like a rocket.”

Marquez wouldn’t want his child to become a racer

In recent months, Marquez expressed his hopes to become a father soon.

However, he admitted in the same La Sexta interview that he wouldn’t want his child to become a racer because of the “burden” of his legacy.

“I wouldn’t like it,” he added.

“I think about them, and I can’t help but say, ‘poor boy or girl’. My legacy would be a great burden.

“I don’t know how protective I would be, because I like to be protective a lot.

“Bearing my last name wouldn’t help them at all. It’s clear they would have some advantages, financially, for example.

“They wouldn’t lack anything, but if you don’t lack anything, you don’t have the same hunger.”