MARQUEZ CONSIDERED QUITTING AFTER MANDALIKA CRASH; NOW HE MUST STUDY ALDEGUER

Marc Marquez heads back to Mandalika with a chance to reclaim the MotoGP championship lead, but the Indonesian circuit carries a difficult history. He has yet to finish a Grand Prix there since it joined the calendar in 2022. After a perfect weekend at Motegi, he is just two points behind championship leader Jorge Martin, 331 points to 333.

The most serious episode came in 2022, when Marquez suffered a violent high-side at Turn 7 during warm-up. He escaped without broken bones but could not race, and the crash brought back the double-vision problems linked to his 2011 Moto2 accident in Malaysia. Journalist and biographer Mat Oxley said on the Oxley Bom podcast that Marquez told his father he was done with racing shortly after returning home.

“Two days later, he decided to retire. He decided to quit,” Oxley said, recalling Marquez’s words: “That’s it. I’m finished. I’m out of here.” Oxley added that, as often happens when riders contemplate retirement, Marquez changed his mind a few days later.

Marquez missed only the following Argentina round before being cleared to race in Austin. However, a fourth operation on his arm later kept him out for six more events. His subsequent visits to Mandalika brought little relief: he crashed in both the Sprint and Grand Prix in 2023; an engine failure ended his 2024 race after he had taken a Saturday podium; and in 2025 he was hit by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap. That collision opened the way for fellow Ducati rider Fermin Aldeguer to claim his first MotoGP victory.

The latest collision caused a collarbone fracture and shoulder ligament damage. Marquez underwent two operations, including one in May this year to realign a loose screw. The injury came a week after he secured the 2025 world title and has left his right arm weaker, complicating his title defence.

Oxley described Mandalika as Marquez’s “number one bogey circuit” and “nightmare circuit,” noting that he had failed to finish there in each of his first four seasons. The 2022 crash, he said, followed a high-side while Marquez was using a hard-casing rear tyre on the slippery track.

To improve his chances this time, Oxley believes Marquez should study Aldeguer’s data from last year’s win. Michelin is again bringing its heat-resistant rear tyre, a specification that Ducati has often struggled with. Oxley told Motor Sport Magazine that Marquez and crew chief Marco Rigamonti would spend time examining Aldeguer’s performance. The young Spaniard, he explained, suffers less with the tyre because he carries more corner speed.

The heat-resistant casing makes much of the tyre stiffer, reducing grip, while leaving the edge less affected. That suits riders and bikes that maintain speed through corners. Ducati’s stop-and-go approach relies more on the tyre’s shoulder under braking and acceleration. Oxley said Marquez would be looking at braking data, aiming to match brake pressure and lean angle in a way that lets him carry more speed into and through turns.

Marquez and Ducati cannot assume the same conditions that helped them at Motegi, where the circuit had been resurfaced and no riders used the hard compound in practice. Aprilia’s Jorge Martin and Bezzecchi are expected to benefit from the tyre at Mandalika, while Trackhouse riders Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez could also contend. KTM’s Pedro Acosta is another potential podium challenger. With the title lead close and the circuit’s record against him, Marquez may have to focus on limiting the damage.