MARC MARQUEZ URGES MOTOGP TO EASE PROMOTIONAL PRESSURE ON RIDERS

Marc Marquez has called for MotoGP to consider the demands placed on riders as it seeks to make the championship more accessible to fans and sponsors. Speaking in Mandalika after being asked about a reported €5,000 fine for missing a promotional activity, the Ducati rider said his concern was not the penalty itself but the growing workload around race weekends.

“I’m the first to want MotoGP to grow and become bigger,” Marquez said. “But I think there are different ways to grow our sport without putting so much pressure on the riders.”

His comments follow a debate in Motegi, where Marquez skipped a Sunday-morning karting event and sent a stand-in instead. He wanted treatment for his injured right shoulder and did not want to take an additional risk before the Grand Prix. He said the issue extends beyond any one appearance: riders must fit championship commitments around team sponsor events and engineering meetings, with little time to spare, particularly on Sundays.

Marquez described a packed sequence after the warm-up: riders change quickly, attend the parade and the Hero Walk, then return for a further warm-up debrief. That meeting is needed to review the session and discuss possible final adjustments, but there is limited time before the race to prepare physically and mentally.

“We have a lot to do now, because it’s not only MotoGP activities,” he said, noting that sponsor commitments and team meetings also fill the weekend. “In the end, we are athletes.”

Marquez warned that the schedule is set to become even more demanding next year, when qualifying sessions for the sprint and Grand Prix will be held separately. The time spent racing and on track will remain unchanged, he said, but “everything will be more intense.”

He supports efforts to expand MotoGP, while arguing that promotion should leave riders enough room to focus on their sporting responsibilities and perform on track.