Santi Hernandez, the former crew chief of Marc Marquez, recently reflected on the seven-time MotoGP champion’s lowest point in 2023, Marquez’s final year with Honda. The Spanish rider, now 32, clinched his seventh premier class world championship in 2025 after an outstanding season with the factory Ducati team, achieving 11 Grand Prix victories and 14 Sprint wins. This triumph marked his first world title in six years, following a challenging five-year period dominated by a severe arm injury sustained in 2020.
Marquez and Hernandez had an incredibly successful partnership at Honda, securing six titles together from 2013 to 2019. After Marc’s 2020 injury, he underwent four major surgeries over two years, with hopes of a full recovery that would allow him to compete at championship level again. However, Honda’s struggles in 2023 led to Marquez leaving HRC a year early to join the Gresini Ducati squad in 2024.
One pivotal moment occurred at the German Grand Prix, where Marquez, known for his dominance at the circuit, crashed five times and didn’t even start the race. In a DAZN documentary about his 2025 title win, Hernandez described Marquez’s 2023 season as his “rock bottom.” Marquez initially thought more surgery could restore his form, but eventually realized the problem might lie elsewhere — maybe even with himself. He coped with doubts about his abilities and even questioned whether his racing career was over, considering retirement.
Hernandez recalled, “You reach a point where you fall and ask yourself if this is really me, if maybe this is the end of the road.” This moment of vulnerability was crucial for Marquez’s eventual comeback. Since joining Ducati, Marquez has maintained good relations with his former Honda team, celebrating his 2025 championship victory alongside Joan Mir at the Japanese Grand Prix and sharing the podium with his old crew.
Fan Take: This story highlights the mental and physical resilience required at the highest level of MotoGP, showing that even legends face crushing doubts. Marquez’s journey back to the top not only inspires fans but also signals a thrilling new chapter for the sport as fresh rivalries and narratives unfold.
