Marc Marquez has his sights firmly set on matching Valentino Rossi’s iconic nine world championships, as he leads the current MotoGP standings after seven of 22 rounds.
The eight-time world champion inched closer to the milestone at the British Grand Prix and aims to take another step forward at his home race in Aragon this weekend.
“Of course, nine is a number I would like to achieve because it’s the next step in my career,” Marquez told the BBC. “It would mean equaling Valentino Rossi in championships.”
Rossi holds nine titles in total — seven of them in the premier class. Marquez currently has six in MotoGP and two in the lower classes.
Only Giacomo Agostini (15), Angel Nieto (13), and a trio including Rossi, Carlo Ubbiali, and Mike Hailwood (each with nine) have more world titles than Marquez in grand prix racing history.
Marquez’s current form on the Ducati has made him the favorite to win the 2025 championship, which would match Rossi’s tally. With a strong run, a tenth title in 2026 is also possible.
Rossi’s 89 career race wins are another record Marquez could eventually challenge — he currently sits on 65.
Reflecting on his journey, Marquez noted the evolution in competition: “When I arrived in MotoGP I was racing against legends like Lorenzo, Pedrosa, and Rossi. Now I’m facing young talents from Moto2 who are extremely competitive.”
Marquez also spoke about how his approach has changed: “I introduced a new riding style with the elbow technique, but now I need to keep adapting to younger riders’ innovations. I think more about safety and try to calculate risks. That wasn’t the case ten years ago.”
After overcoming serious injuries sustained in 2020, Marquez now leads the championship by 24 points over his brother, Alex Marquez. The siblings return to race on home soil at Aragon this weekend, where Marc will hope Ducati’s recent technical issues don’t impact his momentum.
