Marc Márquez knows the world is watching him. Every move is analyzed by his mechanics, his fans, his brother, and all his rivals. The rider from Cervera, after reclaiming the MotoGP World Championship a few months ago, begins his title defense. The price you pay when you're champion is that right afterward, everyone will want to dethrone you. But Márquez, atop his Ducati Desmosedici GP26, seems ready for the challenge, having almost fully recovered from the shoulder injury that required surgery at the end of last season. "I feel I have room to improve, based on my previous form before the injury. I can start the World Championship ready to fight, but we'll have to see how the races go, as they're always more demanding than practice. My shoulder is fine, but I still need more energy," the champion cautiously stated this week.

Marc Márquez's career will always be marked by his July 2020 crash at Jerez. His bike launched him off the road, and the impact with the asphalt was violent. The inertia battered him, sending him into somersaults, his body spinning out of control. After the marshals assisted him, the Catalan rider sat down on the first plastic chair he found outside the danger zone. His movements before removing his helmet already suggested an injury, but no one imagined it was the beginning of a cruel period that would nearly end his career. He had broken his right humerus. At first glance, a minor injury. But it required four operations and ruined three seasons.

The accident suffered by Marc Márquez (Ducati) in the Grand Prix of the Americas was just that, an accident. The rider from Cervera made up for the mistake that caused him to retire in Texas and is once again leading the MotoGP World Championship with an iron fist after winning the Qatar GP, the fourth of the season. Victory in the sprint race on Saturday was the prelude to victory in the big race this Sunday at the Losail circuit, where despite starting from the pole He had to wait until the second half of the race to secure first place until the checkered flag. Six years after his last World Championship victory, Márquez leaves Doha feeling like he has the best bike and more motivation than anyone to regain glory. He was joined on the podium by fellow Catalan Maverick Viñales (KTM), the evening's main event, and his teammate Pecco Bagnaia. Viñales was subsequently penalized 16 seconds (and therefore relegated to 14th place) for low tire pressure.

The MotoGP season has started this weekend with the general conviction that the title is a two-man race. Specifically, the official Ducati riders, Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia. They have the best bike and have had a good pre-season. Márquez, who is aiming for his seventh premier class title. In Thailand, where the first Grand Prix of the season is being held, he said he had "butterflies in his stomach". A feeling he had not felt for many years. Five, at least, since he was seriously injured in 2020 on the Jerez circuit.