Marc Marquez says 13-win record is within reach after MotoGP title

Ducati star Marc Marquez says it is possible for him to break his own record for most grand prix wins in a MotoGP season, but insists he is not putting “pressure” on himself to do so.

Marquez won 13 out of 18 races in his sophomore MotoGP campaign with Honda in 2014, en route to his second premier-class title. That haul eclipsed Mick Doohan’s tally of 12 victories from 1997, when there were just 15 races on the calendar.

No rider has surpassed Marquez’s record in over a decade now. The closest anyone came was Marquez himself, when he scored 12 wins in 19 races to clinch his sixth MotoGP title in 2019.

Now at Ducati, the Spaniard has accumulated 11 wins across the first 17 weekends, putting his long-standing record within reach again.

Asked if he could beat his own tally from 2014, with five rounds still remaining in the season, Marquez said: “Yeah, we can. Let's see.

“We can because I think about Phillip Island and Valencia [as my two strong tracks]. But it's two circuits [and I need three wins].

“We arrive in circuits like Mandalika, Malaysia and Portimao that are not the best ones on the calendar. But I can defend. 

“But I don't want to put pressure on myself.”

Marquez wants to enjoy final five races

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Marquez wrapped up his ninth world championship - and seventh MotoGP title - with a second-place finish in Japan last weekend.

The 32-year-old admitted that the past version of him approached every race with the goal of winning, even if that led to some errors.

Now with experience on his side, Marquez said he didn’t want to put undue pressure on himself in the final leg of the year.

“A long time ago, I was winning and winning races. It was like I wanted to arrive to the next one and attack and win everything,” he said.

“But I suffered [so much] pressure during all the season that I just want to enjoy it. The first target is try not to do stupid mistakes because when you achieve your main target, adrenaline comes down and then sometimes you don't have the same concentration. 

“So let's see if we can do it.

He added: “First of all, we arrive at a circuit where I never finished a race. So this is the first target. And the second target is enjoy these last five races without pressure. If in some practice I'm fifth, sixth, 'no, no need to worry, we will have another practice in two hours'. 

“So I had a lot of pressure during all the last seasons and now I just want to enjoy it. I will have time to put pressure on myself and have the same ambition in 2026. But right now, my mentality is this one.”

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