Marc Marquez has no interest in continuing in MotoGP if he can only fight for the top-five positions as opposed to victory, says Giacomo Agostini.
Marquez He enters the 2026 season as a strong favorite to equal Agostini at the top of the Premier-Division leaderboard (eight in one). Italy’s overall record of 15 Grands Prix looks safe though.
Marquez is the second rider on the MotoGP grid at the age of 33 but has no hope of retiring in the next two years.
Indeed, Marquez is expected to sign a new deal with Ducati And that may not be the last contract. Many suspect he will want to return to Honda before he retires.
Giacomo Agostini says Marc Marquez’s ‘mind’ makes him different.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello SportAgostini recalled a conversation with Marquez that stuck.
While many riders on the grid would love to fight for the top-five these days, Marquez said he would ‘retire’ if that was all he could achieve, rather than podiums, wins or titles.
When asked how Marquez ‘makes the difference’, Augustine He replied: “In his mind, he is a rider who wants to win at all costs.
“I talked to him one day and he told me that he would retire if he had to fight for 5th and 6th place. The lowest goal for Marquez is the podium.”
The Spaniard is targeting his 100th Grand Prix win in Thailand this weekend and could surpass Valentino Rossi’s premier-class mark of 89 (he currently has 73) this year.
Speaking about his career plans in a recent interview, Marquez has said he will retire when he is no longer the fastest. Horseman
Giacomo Agostini’s concern about Marc Marquez going into the 2026 MotoGP season
Marquez has missed the last four rounds of the 2025 season with injury. While fully participating in pre-season testing, Agostini said he may not be at his best.
Peter Bohm says this after crashing three times in the Buriram Test at the weekend. Marquez seems ‘very vulnerable’ Suddenly.
Turning to his opponents, Agostini once again encouraged Aprilia duo Marco Bezecic and Jorge Martin, as well as team-mate Francesco Bagna.
“He’s the world champion, so he’s going to win,” he said of Marquez. “He had an injury last year and had to miss the last few races. This could hurt him at least at this early stage. The opponents will definitely be aggressive, I expect him to be a very good champion.
“Aprilia is ready to fight for the victory with Bezecchi and Jorge Martin. Peco Bagnaia is the champion, but he didn’t have the usual commitment last year. Maybe the winter helped him recharge his batteries. For me, he is a formidable opponent.”
Asked about his chances of equaling the eight-championship record, Marquez said: “He deserves it, records are going to be broken, but I’m happy because no one has managed it yet. If they do, I hope they invite me to their party.”
