Everyone against Marc Márquez in a MotoGP World Championship that is more evenly matched than before

BarcelonaMarc 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.

And the challenge is written in two numbers. Márquez aims to become only the third rider in World Championship history to achieve 10 world titles. The great Giacomo Agostini won 15 in total, more than anyone else, 8 of them in the premier class. And the Spaniard Ángel Nieto, 13. Currently, Márquez is the active rider with the most titles, holding seven in MotoGP, plus one 125cc title and one Moto2 title. Not even Valentino Rossi won 10, so the rider from Cervera is aware that at 33 years old, he has a date with destiny that would allow him to surpass the rider from Urbino.

A difficult challenge, as in the pre-season tests his rivals have shown they are ready to put up a fight. The action begins this weekend at the Buriram circuit in Thailand, the first of the 22 Grand Prix races that will take place over 10 months on four different continents. The big news is the return of a Brazilian circuit, the Ayrton Senna Autodrome in Goiânia, the second race on a calendar that will reach Montmeló on May 17. The World Championship will end in November with the Portimão Grand Prix (Portugal) and the final race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste.

Despite suffering three minor crashes in the Buriram tests, Márquez remains optimistic. He spent years in the shadows, plagued by injuries and bikes he couldn't get along with, watching others win the World Championship. But a year ago, everything changed. This is his second season with the factory Ducati. If he was already champion in his first year, in his second he has a better understanding of the bike and a team that placed a lot of faith in him, even though it was ironic that an Italian team needed a foreigner to become champion. And in doing so, he dethroned a local rider like Pecco Bagnaia, champion in 2022 and 2023. "The feeling is similar to last year; we hope to be competitive from the start, although we know it will be very difficult," he explains.

In Buriram, Márquez has already seen that he will have strong rivals on the Aprilias, as the Italian Marco Bezzecchi has been faster than anyone else. The Japanese rider Ai Ogura, also on an Aprilia, has been a positive surprise, making it clear that this brand has done its homework to close the gap to Ducati. "Bezzecchi will be a contender for the world championship, for sure," admits Márquez. Ducati is the team to beat thanks to the Márquez brothers, the Italians Fabio di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, and of course, Bagnaia, who could soon announce that he is moving to Aprilia next season. The tests have taken place during a time of great rumors about team changes and renewals, with Bagnaia, who has been quite fast, at the center of it all. In the coming days, more than five drivers could announce team changes or renewals. PeccoHaving been overtaken by the two Márquez brothers last year, Álex Márquez has realized he's no longer the main rider at Ducati, so after some thought, he'll pack his bags to try and take a step forward.

Álex Márquez, the newly crowned runner-up last season, will try to close the gap on his older brother with the satellite Ducati of the Gresini team. His consistent work has allowed him to establish himself among the best in the world, ahead of riders like Jorge Martín, the 2014 champion, who had to undergo surgery again after enduring a grueling injury last season. At Buriram, the circuit where Márquez has won in 2018, 2019, and 2015, Pedro "Tiburón" Acerca from Murcia, riding a KTM, and Joan Mir, riding a Honda, have set good times in the final practice sessions, but they shouldn't be considered rivals in the fight for the championship. We'll also have to see how Maverick Viñales, from Empordà, performs with KTM. Viñales has hired former world champion Jorge Lorenzo to help him improve. A lot of riders are set to chase Marc Márquez for eight months. The challenge for the rider from Cervera is to be chased, but not overtaken.