Alex Marquez has revealed he previously questioned his ability to compete in MotoGP before going on to claim his best championship result.
The Spaniard previously won the Moto3 and Moto2 championships in 2014 and 2019, but it took until his sixth season for him to claim his first premier class victory.
Marquez claimed two podiums with the factory Honda team in 2020, but endured three difficult seasons with the Japanese marque, finishing 14th, 16th and 17th in the championship.
A switch to Gresini Racing proved a lifeline for the now 29-year-old, who rode the previous year’s Ducati for the next three seasons.
“When you have a tough year, you see things much more clearly,” Marquez explained to Speedweek.
“You can say, ‘OK, I’ll be patient, I won’t doubt myself, and when I have the right tools, I’ll be fast.’ When I had a year like that with Honda in 2021—and it was really tough, with very few highlights—and then 2022.
“To be honest, I thought, ‘This, MotoGP, isn’t for me.’ That’s how I felt. I tried everything to get faster, and every time I got slower and slower until I thought, ‘What’s happening here?!’
“In moments like these, you need people around you who keep you grounded – and explain that it’s not just about you, but about the whole package.
“I never stopped training or believing that everything would turn out for the best. As a rider, that’s the last thing you can afford to lose.
“If you have doubts and you no longer want to train to improve, then that’s the moment to quit. You have to keep fighting and maintain that feeling in your gut, waking up in the morning wanting to be better.”
Marquez hit several major milestones, progressing from podiums and a Sprint victory in 2023 to three Grand Prix wins on the GP24 in 2025.
He went on to enjoy his best season to date, accumulating 12 podium finishes and a career-high second place in the title fight, finishing behind his brother Marc.
On reflection, Marquez recalled testing the GP24 at Catalunya for the first time, admitting he never imagined he would surpass the goals he initially set.
“When I first tried the ’24 bike in Montmelo [at the last test of 2024], I thought: ‘OK, now you have to give it your all… this could be a good year.’
“To be honest, I didn’t think that would automatically mean second place in the World Championship, but I expected to be consistently in the top five.
“A few podium finishes, some consistency, and fifth place in the end – that would have been good. To be second now is truly fantastic – for me, but also for the team.
“You mustn’t forget: we’re an independent team with last year’s bike. That’s not always easy, but we worked incredibly well together.”
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