MARC MARQUEZ’S MOTHER SAYS RIVALS WILL “MAKE MISTAKES” AS TITLE HOPES RETURN

Marc Marquez’s title comeback story has gathered pace after a difficult stretch earlier in 2026, and it has been accompanied by strong backing from his family—particularly his mother, Roser Alenta. After the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in late May, Marquez found himself 102 points adrift of the championship lead. At that stage, the world champion was still recovering from a second shoulder injury that had already forced him to miss two races, and there were growing doubts about whether he could return to his best form long term. Marquez himself had suggested he might never be back to full strength, while former rider manager Carlo Pernat claimed Marquez had effectively given up on the season.

Those concerns were echoed by paddock chatter about the cumulative effect of Marquez’s injury history. Yet the narrative shifted quickly after Mugello. Since then, Marquez has won four of his last six races, turning a 102-point gap to Bezzecchi into a five-point advantage. He is also only 19 points behind Jorge Martin, the leading rider on the other Aprilia.

Alenta’s message to the doubters has been consistent: she insisted Marquez was not finished and pointed to the possibility that his rivals would eventually make errors. Speaking to AS in April, she said, “Look, Marc isn’t finished. He’s still there. People are making things up, but he does what he has to do. What do you think? That the others won’t make mistakes?” When Marquez later won the Aragon Grand Prix—reported as four months after those earlier comments—she returned to the same theme. “Marc doesn’t always win when I come to see him, and he’s disappointed me many times, but the result doesn’t matter to me,” she said. “As long as they [Marc and his brother Alex] don’t get hurt, I’m happy. I already told you that Marquez wasn’t finished… And I want to say that I love all the fans who support my children.”

When asked about the idea that Marquez is an “alien” due to his extraordinary ability, Alenta pushed back firmly: “Marc isn’t an alien, he’s flesh and blood. When you touch him, you can see he’s made of flesh.”

The wider championship context has also been shaped by injuries and mistakes across the field. Bezzecchi’s challenge collapsed before the summer break as he failed to score on four consecutive Sundays, a run that included two DNFs, a race ban and an injury. Fabio Di Giannantonio’s form dipped during a seven-race podium drought, while Ai Ogura’s hopes took a major hit after he injured himself in training before Aragon, forcing him to miss the race. Even Martin—described as the most consistent contender—had suffered four retirements this year. With five riders separated by 24 points at the summer break, the race increasingly appears to be narrowing into a three-way fight involving Marquez, Bezzecchi and Martin.