Marc Marquez admits he prefers to be “pessimistic” over his chances of winning the MotoGP title at the end of the 2025 season.
The eight-time World Champion leads the standings by 83 points ahead of brother Alex Marquez after another dominant weekend at the Sachsenring.
Marquez admitted he had been anticipating an important weekend at the German circuit, where he dominated to take victory for a ninth time in the premier class.
“I am overjoyed because this was one of the tracks I had marked on my calendar to attack,” Marquez said via GPOne.
“As we know, it is a special circuit for me and I had a perfect weekend.
“Above all, yesterday was the most important day with the rain and today, in the dry, I knew I had better pace than the others and I tried not to overdo it.”
Despite his better pace, Marquez’s seven-second gap out front was also in part due to a flurry of crashes at Turn 1.
Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi both crashed out of second place as six riders exited the race at the corner.
Marquez suggested the transition between wet and dry conditions could have played a part in the crashes.
“When you ride for so many laps in the wet, it’s strange to go back to the slicks as the bike feels heavy at first,” the championship leader said.
“Also the grip was not perfect and, finally, we all chose the hard front tyre, which was on the limit in the middle and the right side.”
When asked why he did not crash, the Spaniard said: “I’m on a track where I feel good, which is perfect for my riding style. I could have been in the perfect line in every corner because I was not on my limit.
“I could have lapped in 1:20.3 like in practice, but today I tried to managed the tyres because the race was going to be long.”
‘The glass is half empty’ – Marc Marquez on 2025 title ambitions
With his victory at the Sachsenring, Marquez surpassed Giacomo Agostini for second on the list of all-time race victories.
The Spaniard is now just 20 wins behind long-time rival Valentino Rossi’s record of 89 victories, and Marquez admits that he will try to continue his current form to reach the target.
“It is so important to continue to have fun on a motorcycle,” Marquez said about the achievement.
“When you win, you have fun and this season I’m doing that a lot.
“To get to 200 GPs with a win means you are at a very good level, and I will try to continue like that, especially with the same passion.”
However, as Marquez looks to chase down a ninth world championship title, he was a lot more reserved about his chances despite his current lead.
“We are only halfway through the season. I am always optimistic, but in this case I prefer to be pessimistic.
“We have only raced 11 GPs, I see the glass as half empty because then I can stay focused. Anything can happen.”
Marquez revealed one thing that has helped to keep him focused this season is the fact that his brother Alex is his nearest title rival.
While the Cervera-native suggested he had anticipated a stronger challenge from team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, he praised his brother for not making mistakes in races.
“I thought [the title fight] would be more level,” Marquez admitted.
“In a way it is because Alex doesn’t make mistakes, but I thought Pecco [Bagnaia] was behind me to make things difficult for me.
“Instead there is my brother and that makes me stay even more focused because I can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
