Former Marc Marquez rival hints at retirement possibility if eighth MotoGP title is won

Marc Marquez could retire from MotoGP if he wins his eighth premier class title this year, his former rival Stefan Bradl thinks.

Marc Marquez and Bradl fought each other for the 2011 Moto2 World Championship, the German coming out on top after Marquez sustained an eye injury when he crashed in qualifying at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

In MotoGP, the two spent much time together at Honda, Bradl – who started his premier class career with LCR Honda in 2012 and would go on to be HRC’s official test rider after a spell in WorldSBK – even standing in for Marquez on several occasions during the most severe periods of Marquez’s injury troubles in the early 2020s before he moved to Ducati.

15 years after Marquez’s title-losing Malaysia crash, he won in Sepang by four seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta, taking almost-full control of the 2026 MotoGP championship in the process.

A week later he won the Sprint in Qatar and finished second in the grand prix, setting up his second title chance at Portimao at the end of November. Marquez goes into the penultimate round with a 60-point lead over Jorge Martin, and a 74-point lead over Marco Bezzecchi – a gap of 38 points over both after Portimao will be enough to be champion before the final round.

The 2026 title would be Marquez’s eighth in MotoGP and 10th overall, two statistics that would put him ahead of Valentino Rossi on the all-time lists, while the former would tie Marquez with Giacomo Agostini for premier class crowns.

Such a milestone could trigger the Ducati Lenovo rider to retire, Stefan Bradl thinks.

“It's the question of how Marc [Marquez] will be at peace with himself,” said Bradl on ServusTV after the grand prix in Qatar, as reported by Speedweek.

“I believe that if he wins the title now and overtakes Valentino Rossi [on the all-time list for world titles], it will be him. 

“My feeling is that he says: 'Okay, that's it', and that he will then stop with this status.”

Bradl, though, added that “There are not many athletes who have made the jump at the peak”.

Marquez signed a two-year contract extension with Ducati at the start of this year, announced in the summer, tying him to the Bologna brand until the end of 2028.

When asked by Neil Hodgson on TNT Sports after the Malaysian Grand Prix whether a title win for Marquez this year could lead to concern for Ducati about his retirement, the extension was used by Davide Tardozzi as evidence of his commitment to Ducati.

“No,” Tardozzi said. “I got this question. Marc [Marquez] has an agreement with us for 2027, 2028, and I’m sure that he will be with us.”