JAKARTA - MotoGP defending champion Marc Marquez is ambitious to defend his title in this year's race calendar as well as to match the record of Italian legend Giacomo Agostini.
The Spaniard was dominant last season on his way to becoming world champion. He is still the favorite in this year's calendar, although there is a possibility that the race will be more competitive.
"We have to fight for the title once again. Being on the Ducati Lenovo team means that the demand to be a champion is always there and that's what we will try," said Marquez as quoted by France24.
Last year's world title was the first for the 33-year-old rider since 2019 when he was still with Honda. He had locked in the title in the Japanese MotoGP when there were still five races left.
Marquez then missed the last four series due to falling and injury during the race at the Indonesian MotoGP in Mandalika. However, he still remains the leader of the standings with a large point gap at the end of the season.
Overall, The Baby Alien collected 25 victories including the Sprint Race session in this extraordinary season. The title also marked a comeback after an injury that almost made him decide to retire.
It was his seventh title in the MotoGP arena which also matched Valentino Rossi's achievement. So, now Marquez needs one more title to join Agostini as the most successful rider in history.
However, the competition is likely to be even fiercer as there are five world champions on the grid this season, including Jorge Martin who is trying to recover from the injury storm and Francesco Bagnaia who is determined to rediscover the champion's touch as he dominated the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
"Being able to drive according to my own desires and preferences feels much better, including for the technicians to understand what I feel on the track," said Bagnaia, who is Marquez's teammate at Ducati.
In addition, another name that must be taken into account is Marco Bezzecchi from Aprilia who managed to break the lap record in Buriram in the pre-season test. Furthermore, KTM's young talent, Pedro Acosta, is also getting more mature on the track.
The first series of the 2026 MotoGP will take place at the Chang International Circuit, Thailand, from February 27 to March 1, 2026. In total, there are 22 race series held, including Brazil's comeback as host.
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