Márquez's formula for protecting himself during a tremendous season

BarcelonaThe Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix at the end of April marked a turning point in the way Marc Márquez handles the media attention during this period of dictatorial dominance that will lead him, barring a serious accident, to winning a world championship again six years later, having risen from the ashes. At the Jerez Circuit, those around him realized there were too many people hanging around Marc during Grand Prix weekends. Media, guests (one of those who attended was tennis player Carlos Alcaraz), fans... So, Ducati, his team, took measures so he could focus more on the competition.

Since then, the Italian firm has limited interviews and any other requests that involve Marc's participation during Grand Prix events. The only obligations he cannot evade are those already signed by contract. This policy doesn't please Dorna, the organizers of the MotoGP World Championship, because it's aware that Marc is, indisputably, its biggest media draw right now and would like to exploit him even more. "We must take measures to preserve our rider's health," Ducati sources told ARA.

On vacation with his biggest rival

The top two riders in the MotoGP World Championship standings share a sunset in their swimsuits in Menorca during their vacation. The situation would be unbelievable if it weren't for the Márquez brothers, who chose the island this summer to travel together with their respective partners and friends, and thus briefly disconnect (another practice to preserve their mental health) from a season they will remember forever. The tight schedule, with 22 Grands Prix, doesn't allow for much more rest.

Marc could already be the MotoGP world champion in San Marino on the weekend of September 14th, with six Grands Prix still to be run. But for this to be mathematically possible, another double for Marc (quite likely, as he has seven in a row) would first have to be combined with an inconsistent performance from his brother Àlex this weekend at the Catalunya Grand Prix. That means Marc would score at least 10 points more than Àlex at Montmeló. Something Marc himself doesn't want. "I hope not to have a match point at Misano because it would mean my brother would have had a bad weekend. Being a home Grand Prix, I wish my brother the best, as he's ahead of whether or not he has a match point at the next race," Marc told DAZN on Thursday.

When Márquez retires

This totalitarianism on the track also carries over into the media. "MotoGP will have a problem when Marc [now 32] leaves, just as it did when Rossi retired. That's what people talk about a lot in the paddock. In Italy, attendance at races has decreased since Rossi retired, and the same will probably happen here when Marc leaves because there's no one to talk about now." outsiders media attention like there was with Pedrosa or Lorenzo," a person from the paddock who attends all the World Championship races explains to ARA. However, sources from the Circuit inform this newspaper that the pace of ticket sales for this year's Grand Prix is similar to that of May last year, when the fight to win was between Jorge Martín and Pecco Bagnaia and 176,684 spectators attended over the three days.

"Bagnaia and Martín received media attention last year because they were playing for the title, but this season Martín has only received special attention when he returned from injuries and Bagnaia has it because of the curiosity of seeing him sink when he is riding the same bike as Marc," continues the source from the paddock, where there is some concern about whether there could be a drop in interest in the final races of the MotoGP World Championship if the Cervariense solves it the fast track. "A few years ago, when many riders won each season, people said that we were missing a hero. And now that we have a driver who wins every race, they complain that he'll be a champion very soon," said Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta during the presentation of the Catalan Grand Prix.

The pressure of always having to win

The titles of the last three MotoGP World Championships were decided in the final race. This year, barring a huge upset, they will be decided with four or five Grands Prix to spare. "You go into each Grand Prix knowing the goal is to win. There's a higher standard of performance," says Ducati. "What's happening is exceptional. Marc's recovery won't just go down in MotoGP history; it will go down in the history of the sport. But this story also belongs to Ducati because what Marc is doing now has already been attempted with other brands. There's been a connection between Marc and Ducati that has made it possible," the team boasts.