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MotoGP
Marc Márquez: the incredible life of the MotoGP™ superstar
Get up to speed with the full back story of Marc Márquez, who’s one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time and the bona-fide star of the MotoGP™ World Championship.
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Marc Márquez is currently in the middle of his 18th season of MotoGP™ racing, with the aim of claiming his ninth world title victory and his seventh in the elite class. Despite all his success, which includes so many wins, hundreds of podiums and much more, the Catalan rider has had many struggles. Struggles which include a long-running battle with injury that saw him endure 1,043 days without tasting victory, until a dominant win at the 2024 Aragon GP saw him looking tantalisingly close to recapturing his world-beating form. This is his story.
01
The Marc Márquez – All In documentary
The Spaniard is no stranger to inviting documentary crews to follow him for a more intimate look at his life, as he did in 2020's Márquez Unlimited short film. Two years later, Márquez let the cameras in once again for Marc Márquez – All In, during a decisive year in his life and career. The five-episode mini-series, which is available to watch for free on Red Bull TV, goes behind the scenes during a difficult 2022 season when Márquez was still feeling the effects of an injury that threatened his very career.
33 min
Hope
After a devastating injury, Marc Márquez's biggest challenge is to be what he once was, so he moves to Madrid.
Throughout the series we see a very different side to the champion racer as he strives to once again be competitive on the MotoGP™ circuit. We also learn about his upbringing, his family life and see some of the pivotal moments from his remarkable career to date.
Watch all the episodes of Marc Márquez – All In here
02
Starting strong
Márquez was born in Cervera, Spain, in 1993 (hence why he races with bike number 93) to parents Juliá and Roser. It seemed as if motorcycling was in his blood, as before he even turned four-years-old, he asked his parents for a bike. From then on there was no turning back.
In 2001, aged seven, he won the Catalonia Enduro Championship, before deciding that tarmac racing instead of off-road was his future. He moved over to the track the following year.
At 10-years-old he claimed his first road title, the Champion Open Race 50, before moving up to the 125cc class. He took the title in his second year aboard a Honda CBR125, an achievement he repeated the following year.
Márquez then moved from the Catalonia series to the Spanish Speed Championship for the 2007 season. He competed in the championship for just one season, aboard a KTM 125 RRF, where he claimed his first national race win and finished ninth overall. It was now time for him to hit the world stage and start breaking records.
Márquez claiming his first win in the 125cc World Championship
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
03
Taking the world by storm
Aged just 15 years and 127 days, Márquez, as part of the KTM Repsol team, took his first podium in the 2008 125cc World Championship (now called Moto3™) making him the youngest Spanish rider to claim a podium in the sport. It was around this time that he started being called 'The Ant of Cervera' due to his small stature but incredible ability to control heavy and powerful machinery.
For his second season in the 125cc class, Márquez raced with the Red Bull KTM Motorsport team, scoring another podium and two pole positions, which showed signs of his raw speed.
29 min
Talent
Marc’s riding style has earned him admiration from fans, but has also led to conflicts with other riders.
2010 was the year the world started to really take notice of Márquez. He'd moved over to the factory Derbi team for the year and even in pre-season testing his pace was something that couldn't be ignored. It immediately put him among the favourites to take the 125cc championship. That season Márquez won 10 races out of the 17 on the calendar, including five in a row. He'd also taken 11 pole positions. He was ready to move up to Moto2™ and he was doing it as a first-time world champion.
Márquez spent two seasons in Moto2™. After getting to grips with the 600cc machine in 2011, he went on to claim the title in 2012. He ended his time in the second-class category with a majestic final race in Valencia, Spain, where he started 33rd on the grid but stormed through the field to take the win. He passed 20 bikes on the opening lap alone. That win was the biggest come-from-behind ride in the sport's history.
On his way to his Moto2™ World Championship title
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
04
The big leagues
Márquez had constantly proved he had what it took to compete with the best, but moving up to MotoGP™ was a test on a completely different level. Not only was he up against some of the biggest stars the sport had ever seen, including Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa, he was part of one of the most famous teams in the sport: Repsol Honda.
He wasted no time proving he was destined to be in the premier league by claiming a podium in his debut at the season-opener in Qatar and then winning the second race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, USA.
34 min
Champion
Marc remembers his early MotoGP™ times and meets up with the man who was his idol back then: Valentino Rossi.
There was no stopping Márquez after this and he took to the top spot on the podium five more times in the season, beating Jorge Lorenzo to the title and becoming the first rookie to win the premier class world championship since Kenny Roberts in 1978.
In his second season, Márquez made it look all too easy. He won the opening 10 rounds of the campaign and took the title 67 points ahead of Valentino Rossi. In 2015, he won seven races in the season, but it wasn't enough to stop Jorge Lorenzo or Valentino Rossi, and Márquez had to settle for third in the championship.
'The Ant' was back on top in 2016 claiming his third MotoGP™ crown, his fifth world championship overall. He took five wins across the season and won the title with three Grands Prix to spare.
Celebrating his 5th MotoGP™ title
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
It was another title-winning season in 2017 and the following year Márquez broke more records by claiming his fifth MotoGP™ championship. At just 25-years-old he became the youngest rider in history to win seven world titles and five in the premier class of the sport.
2019 was another dominant season for Márquez, although there were doubts about how well he would perform after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season. He put those doubts to rest by almost winning the opening race of the year and then went on to take 12 wins in the 19-race season, beating Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso by 151 points.
34 min
Passion
Marc recovers from surgery with one goal: to win again. In Austria he meets his former rival, Dani Pedrosa.
05
A tough break
Competing in motorcycle races is dangerous and very few riders finish their career without at least a few injuries. Márquez is no exception.
He had to undergo surgery on his shoulder at the end of the 2018 season, but he was able to regain full movement by the start of the 2019 season. Watch the amazing documentary about his recovery for the season in the player below.
1 h 20 min
Márquez Unlimited
After surgery and rehabilitation, Marc Márquez returns for the 2019 MotoGP™ season.
Being off the bike is tough for a rider and, as part of his recovery, Márquez's team had to take the wheels off his motocross bike and hide them so he wouldn't try to ride while in recovery.
The injuries were to get worse however. At the 2020 MotoGP™ season opener in Jerez, Spain, Márquez highsided his Honda and landed badly, tumbling in the gravel trap. The fall broke the humerus bone (upper arm) in his right arm and he had to undergo surgery straight away. He returned to the track for the second round of the season and rode in Free Practice, but announced that he was in too much pain to ride and withdrew from the race and then the rest of the season to try and fully recover.
Márquez in rehabilitation from injury
© Jaime De Diego/Red Bull Content Pool
His recovery lasted into the start of the 2021 season, where Márquez missed the opening two rounds. He competed in the following 14 races, claiming three wins, but when it was clear he wasn't going to win the title he withdrew from the final two races as his right arm was still not right.
At the second race of the 2022 season, Márquez crashed three times in practice and a fourth time in the warm-up before the race. The fourth crash was another violent highside and he was rushed to hospital. He was uninjured, but declared unfit to race.
At a further check-up it was discovered that Márquez was suffering from diplopia (double vision), which also required surgery. He was later side-lined again to undergo a fourth surgery on his humerus, this time to fix a 30-degree rotation of the bone. He finally came back for the final six races of the season and claimed a second-place finish at Phillip Island in Australia, the 100th podium of his career.
36 min
Comeback
It’s time for Marc to recap on a year that's seen him make some of the most difficult decisions of his life.
06
Records galore
It's hardly surprising that with all this success that along with his trophies, Márquez has obtained more than a few records in the sport.
Title number 8 in the bag
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
It would take far too long to list them all here, but some of his accolades include most pole positions across all classes, most wins in a debut season, most wins in a season, most pole positions in one season and more. He's also collected many age-related records, including the youngest race winner, youngest rider to 100 podiums and the youngest MotoGP™ World Champion.
Nobody rides a bike like Marc!
Márquez puts the power down at Motegi
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
07
Marc's two families
You don't have as much success as Márquez without having a strong support network and the rider has often said that he has "two families who support me – my mother, father and brother, and my race team."
His father Juliá is at every race and his mother attends some as well, but Marc’s closest relationship is with his brother, Alex.
Alex Márquez is also a competitor in MotoGP™ and when he won the Moto2™ world championship in 2019 his biggest supporter was Marc. The eight-time world champion says his relationship with his brother is very important, as they train together and push each other to be better – and now compete alongside each other as of the 2024 season with Gresini Racing.
Marc and Alex Márquez racing together in 2020
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
“I have my manager and my trainer, and when you have a good atmosphere in the team you can grow a lot," he said.
08
What's next?
Ready for 2024 with Gresini Racing
© David Goldman/Red Bull Content Pool
After his final season riding a RCV213V bike with the Repsol Honda team in 2023, Márquez joined up with his brother, Alex, at the Gresini team for the 2024 MotoGP™ season.
“I’m excited with this new challenge," said Márquez of his partnership with Gresini Racing. "It wasn’t an easy decision because it’s a big change in every way. But sometimes in life it’s important to get out of the comfort zone and put yourself through the paces in order to keep growing. Bike-chance wise, I know I will have to adapt my riding style to a few things, and it won’t be easy. But I’m also sure that the whole Team Gresini will help me a lot. I can’t wait to get to know the team and start working with them. I’d like to thank Nadia, Carlo and Michele for the trust and respect they showed me."
2025 will be the start of a new journey for Márquez, as he signed a two-year deal with Ducati, riding alongside Francesco Bagnaia. Looking forward to next year, he says: "I am happy to be able to take this big step in 2025 and grateful for the trust Ducati has placed in me."
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