Marc Márquez continues to make history. The Repsol Honda rider last weekend became MotoGP World Champion for the third consecutive year. This is the third time that Márquez has sealed the title at Twin Ring of Motegi, Honda’s home circuit, repeating the achievements of 2014 and 2016. He has now won five premier class titles, with a further two World Championships in 125cc (2010) and Moto2 (2012).
Aged 25 years and 246 days, Marc Márquez is the youngest rider in history to achieve five World Championships in the premier class. He matches Repsol Honda Team legend Mick Doohan for titles in MotoGP/500cc, and trails only Ángel Nieto as the most successful Spanish rider across all classes. This season he took his 78th pole position – more than any other rider since statistics have been recorded (1974).
This year, Márquez has shown a consistency that allowed him to lead the series from the fourth race, held in Spain, and progressively increase his advantage from the Italian Grand Prix onwards.
Since winning his first title in 2010, each season he has taken at least five wins, a milestone that in the 70 years of Grand Prix history is unprecedented. The Repsol Honda Team rider has been constantly rewriting the history books and has grown into an icon of world sport.
Marc Marquez
“I feel really, really good. I would say it’s a dream came true, or better, that I’m living a dream. It’s something so special, here together with my team, all the Honda and HRC people, my family and my staff. It has been a great season, and ever since Aragon I’ve been tasting, imagining this title, because it was very close. Then I realized that this wasn’t my style, and I needed extra motivation, so I set the goal of trying to achieve it with my first match ball—in Motegi, by winning the race. This circuit was a challenging one to manage that, but it seems like when I’m under pressure, I feel better on the bike! Today the race was as I expected. I was prepared to make a good start and immediately make some passes. I got to second place at the end of the first lap, and then was able to follow Andrea and stay with him. I thought I could try and attack before the last lap because I felt I had something extra to give. He was pushing very hard and made a mistake, and that’s a shame because he deserved to be here on the podium. That’s also something that I think Dani would deserve at least once this season. Anyway, when I crossed the finish line it was an explosion of joy. My people prepared this Level7 celebration, but I didn’t know anything ahead of time. I never want to know, but I think it’s because I used to play that kind of game a lot. Now it’s time to celebrate this seventh title and enjoy these final three races.”
Marc Marquez Milestones
- 2013 GP of the Americas – Youngest rider in history to achieve a pole position in the premier class.
- 2013 Valencian GP – Rider with the most points, podiums and pole positions in a debut season in the premier class: 334 points, 16 podiums and nine pole positions.
- 2014 Japanese GP 2014 – Youngest double champion in the premier class.
- 2016 Japanese GP – Youngest triple champion in the premier class.
- 2017 Valencian GP – Youngest rider in history to achieve four titles in the premier class.
- 2018 Japanese GP – Marc Márquez equals Mick Doohan as the Honda rider with the most titles in the premier class.
- 2018 Japanese GP – Spanish rider with the second most titles, after the 12+1 for Ángel Nieto.
- Sixth most Grand Prix wins (69).
- Rider with the fifth most victories in the premier class (43).
- 2018 Japanese GP – Fourth rider in history to achieve five titles in the premier class, along with Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan.
- 2018 Japanese GP – Eighth rider in history to win at least 7 titles in all classes, together with John Surtees (7), Phil Read (7), Carlo Ubbiali (9), Mike Hailwood (9), Valentino Rossi (9), Ángel Nieto (13) and Giacomo Agostini (15).
