Stefan Bradl speculates: Will Marc Marquez retire after his 10th title?

Ducati ace Marc Marquez pulled off a tactical masterstroke by finishing second in the main race at Doha. Ahead of the next race weekend, the Spaniard now holds all the cards to clinch the MotoGP World Championship title ahead of schedule. The situation: The 33-year-old must finish ahead of his challenger Jorge Martin in the Portimão sprint race and score two more points to secure his tenth World Championship title.

Stefan Bradl, too, closely observed the commanding performance of his former team-mate Marc Marquez in Doha whilst working as a TV pundit for ServusTV in Salzburg. During the broadcast, the possibility of Marquez retiring after winning his tenth world title was also discussed. Bradl has put forward a new theory on the matter, causing quite a stir: “The question is how at peace Marc will be with himself.”

Marc Marquez

Foto: Gold and Goose Photography

Stefan Bradl: “There aren’t many athletes who have managed to step away at the peak of their careers”

The Zahlingen native, who worked alongside Marquez for years as an HRC test rider, went on to analyse: “I believe that will be the case if he wins the title now and overtakes Valentino Rossi in the process. My feeling is that he’ll say: ‘Right, that’s it’, and that he’ll then retire whilst still at the top of his game.” Bradl also pointed out: “There aren’t many athletes who’ve managed to call it a day at the peak of their careers.”

The fact is: should Marc Marquez retire, it wouldn’t just mean the end of next year’s highly anticipated Ducati Corse duel between Marquez and Pedro Acosta. The retirement of this exceptional rider would also leave the Italian manufacturer in a difficult position.

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20.11.2026 - 09:55