Marc Márquez, the Spanish champion with a brilliant career, is going through a dark period. His last victory in MotoGP dates back to last September, before a shoulder injury that has been holding him back since. With a tally stuck at 99 victories, the rider now faces a worrying series of races without a win.
A Painful Return
To trace back to Marc Márquez’s last victory, one must go to the San Marino GP last September, just before his crowning. A week after securing his title, the Spaniard suffered a right shoulder injury that he still endures today. This accident forced him to prematurely end his season and to start 2025 on a bitter note, having brilliantly won 11 of the 16 Grands Prix the previous year.
Since that September 14 in Misano, Márquez has not won any main races at the Grands Prix, settling for a sprint at the beginning of the year. He finished second in Motegi, the day of his crowning, before injuring himself in Mandalika and then missing the events in Phillip Island, Sepang, Portimão, and Valencia. This season, he struggles to contest the dominance of Marco Bezzecchi, who has won all the Grands Prix so far.
In total, out of the last nine Grands Prix held after his last success, five have been won by Bezzecchi. The other victories went to Pecco Bagnaia (Japan), Fermín Aldeguer (Indonesia), Raúl Fernández (Australia), and Álex Márquez (Malaysia). One can view the situation from two angles: either considering that by missing five of the nine Grands Prix over the past seven months, Márquez has effectively let slip only four victories; or counting all the events held, which represents a drought of nine consecutive Grands Prix — his third longest period without a victory in MotoGP.
Four Years in Hell
It would have been hard to imagine that Marc Márquez could go through 21 Grands Prix without winning, and then 53 afterward. Yet that is what happened after his injury on July 19, 2020, during a season already disrupted by Covid. It was not until the 2021 German GP that he could return to the top step of the podium. This victory marked a quick return to the top, given the multiple withdrawals and surgeries he underwent between these two dates.
After his victory at Sachsenring in 2021 and another success at the San Marino GP the same year, his drought was about to begin. Physically weakened, he had to undergo two more surgeries on his arm, the last of which took place in June 2022. Then, when his physical abilities were finally regained, his bike no longer responded as before.
53 Grands Prix passed without him being able to register a single victory. To end this dark series, Márquez gave up his last year of contract with Honda to join Ducati through the Gresini team. After a long and troubled path, he finally returned to victory at the Aragón GP in 2024.
Today, with these nine Grands Prix without a victory, Marc Márquez faces his third longest drought and the second since his move to Ducati.
Never More Than Six GPs Without a Win Before His Injury
Before the turning point that was his 2020 injury? From his debut in MotoGP in 2013 until that fateful date, the longest drought he had experienced was a series of six Grands Prix in 2015. That year was when he did not clinch the world title despite an impressive accumulation of successes with Honda.
Curiously, the pattern of 2015 seems to be repeating: in 2013, 2016, and 2017, he also did not win between the Grands Prix of the Americas and Germany. However, those years only had five races between those two favorite events for the Spaniard.
A Tally Stuck at 99 Victories
By winning in Misano last year, Márquez celebrated his 73rd victory in MotoGP and his 99th in all categories combined. The symbolic milestone of 100 victories seemed within reach. However, he has not managed to cross that long-awaited threshold either at the end of the previous championship or at the beginning of this year after a rest meant to allow him to fully recover.
Soon, Jerez looms to offer him a dream opportunity to finally reach that coveted hundredth victory. However, it will not be an easy task: he is not yet fully recovered from his injury and must face the rising power of Aprilia on the circuit. Moreover, Jerez has never been an easy ground for him: out of the 16 races held since his arrival in the world championship in 2008, he has only three victories (in 2014, 2018, and 2019). Even last year, while he dominated the start of the season with the official Ducati, he was beaten by Álex Márquez.
The Longest Series of GPs Without a Win for Marc Márquez
* Ongoing series
- 53 Grands Prix (2020-2024)
- 9 Grands Prix (2023-2024)
- 6 Grands Prix (2015)
