Marc Marquez makes significant MotoGP retirement claim

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has admitted for the first time that he is more than likely to retire after his next Ducati contract.

The 33-year-old signed a new deal to stay with the factory Ducati squad for the next two seasons earlier this year.

The deal came despite uncertainty over his physical condition, as he battled the aftereffects of a shoulder injury he picked up last October.

Marquez will be 35 when his next contract expires.

“30% chance I’ll be racing”

Valentino Rossi continued racing into his 40s, but Marquez has faced numerous major injury hurdles over the years that will likely stop him from reaching that milestone.

Quizzed about his future, Marquez said in an interview with Autosport: “This time, it’s a little more complicated to answer the question.

“I don’t know exactly, but if I had to put a figure on it, I’d say there’s a 70% chance that I’ll have retired within three years, and a 30% chance that I’ll still be racing.”

“2025 title changed the way I’ll retire”

Marquez came back from a serious arm injury in 2020 to win his seventh world title last year, which was also his first with Ducati.

At the time, he said he was “at peace” with himself after everything he’d gone through.

After last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Marquez has taken a 10-point lead in the championship standings over Jorge Martin.

With Martin now injured, Marquez’s chances of winning an eighth MotoGP world title have been significantly boosted with four rounds to go.

But even if he wins the championship this year, Marquez says he will retire happy given what he already achieved in 2025.

“That title changed the way I’ll retire when the time comes,” he said.

“From now on, whether I win one more or one less, [it] won’t make any difference.

“When I retire, I’ll do so as a free man, at peace with myself.”