MARC MARQUEZ’S TEAMMATE SAYS THE SPANIARD IS “PROVING” HIS TITLE THREAT AFTER SAN MARINO

Marc Marquez’s climb back to the top of the MotoGP title fight has been dramatic enough to erase a once-massive 102-point deficit, and at the San Marino Grand Prix he became the new championship leader. While some observers have pointed to misfortune elsewhere as part of the story, an account from inside Marquez’s camp has focused instead on what the team believes is the key ingredient: his mindset.

Jose Luis Martinez—described as Marc Marquez’s assistant, training partner, and close confidant—shared an anecdote with Mela Chercoles of AS that he says captured the Spaniard’s “killer” focus returning at exactly the right moment. Martinez recounted walking into Marquez’s hotel room and finding him in a different mental zone, staring at a screen. The atmosphere, Martinez said, wasn’t forced or theatrical; it was simply intense.

He then described a specific moment before the sprint race. Martinez said he entered Marquez’s office when there was still an hour and a half to go, and Marquez was alone, watching TV while looking at the Moto2 standings. Martinez said he tried to lighten the mood, asking, “Damn, don’t kill me, what’s wrong?” Marquez laughed, but Martinez used the exchange to underline what he had noticed in Marquez’s expression.

“Those who know him well… recognise his look, his expression,” Martinez said, adding that the eyes he associates with Marquez “turn red.” In Martinez’s view, those signs meant Marquez was back to the same mental state he associates with peak performance. He explained that when he sees that look, he becomes “least worried,” because it usually corresponds with how Marquez races when the pressure is highest.

Martinez’s takeaway was blunt: “Under pressure is when he performs,” he said, emphasizing that Marquez’s best comes when he avoids mistakes and errors. “And he’s proving it,” Martinez added, framing the current title surge as evidence that the mindset is not just present, but effective.

As Marquez’s resurgence has gathered momentum, the title battle has naturally sharpened around his main rivals, including Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. Even with his own momentum, Marquez has not positioned himself as an automatic favorite. He has told reporters not to underestimate other riders, while focusing on himself and the two names most central to the fight.

With Marquez now leading the championship after San Marino and with his mentality described by his assistant as returning to “absolute” focus, the narrative around the 2026 season has shifted toward whether he can complete an all-time great comeback. Martin still has a chance, but Martinez’s story—especially the insistence that Marquez’s best arrives under pressure—has been presented as a warning sign for the Ducati rider.