Valencia MotoGP: Marc Marquez details "the biggest mistake of my career" as Honda exit nears
But there have also been some dark moments and on the eve of his fi💃nal weekend for the team, Marquez was asked to pick out the worst of them.
Unsurprisingly, he named Je💝rez 2020. Not the initial arm-breaking accident, but an early comeback attempt the follo🦹wing weekend.
“The worst moment I will say was 2020, when I came back. That was t𒅌he biggest mistake of my career and of that long era with Honda,” Marquez said.
Stress from that comeback attempt we🥂akened the newly fitted plate holding Marquez’s broken bone together.
Feeling som🎃ething wasn’t right, Marquez withdrew before qualifying, but the damage had been done and the plate failed at home soon after.
That meant a second round of surgery, which then required a third operation to clean up an infection. It wasn’t until after a major all-or-nothing fourth procedure, in May 2022, that Marquez finally regained full mobility in the ar🦩m.
Without a race win since 2021, Marquez has cut hi𝓰s losses and will join younger brother Alex at Gresini Ducati next season.
“The only goal for next year is to♊ enjoy it again, to continue with my career,” he said.
“This is the only goal because the situation I'm in now, I cꦉan 'survive' half year, one year more [without enjoyment]. But not longer. So this is the main goal.
“I cannot think about wiꦺnning the championship because in the last two years, I didn't win a race! So we are far from that.”
Marquez, who has o༒ne podium so far this season, will make his Ducati debut in testing at Val🦹encia on Tuesday.
But for now his focus is fully on one last weekend with HRC, at leastܫ for n🌺ow.
"I’m sorry but I won’t speak about [Ducati], especially because I have huge respect for Honda and my full commitment will be until the last lap in Valencia. So I’m just focused on this weekend and then on Monday, we will start working with the next year’s team," he s🌃aid.
"I don’t like to say that it will be my last race with Honda because you never know, but it will be the end of an era aꦚnd the end of a nice chapter where we’ve achieved six world championships i🎉n 11 years which have been amazing.
"This weekend I want to enjoy myself on track and I ☂want to enjoy all the moments [with the team] because next year it will be difficult to imagine♔ working with another group.
"But in the end, it was my decisiꦯon and it’s ✨what I want to do."
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He 𒆙is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
