MotoGP, Martinez: "Marquez was touched by God. He has to be an inspiration to young people."

It took Marc Marquez 1,043 days to return to the top step of the podium, which is why his magical weekend in Aragon was greeted by practically the entire paddock with a smile. Whether he likes it or not, the rider from Cervera has undeniably made his mark on the contemporary MotoGP, giving rise to a winning partnership with Honda, interrupted only by the consequences of his accident in Jerez in 2020, which led him to an intermittent presence on the grid caused by no less than four surgeries to the right arm and lasted until his divorce from his team, in order to attempt with Ducati and Gresini.

And it's precisely with them that the eight-time world champion broke his fast, causing those close to him to breathe a sigh of relief, starting with his personal manager, Jimmy Martinez, a Spanish wakeboard champion who confessed to AS: "I'm very happy because ,as everyone knows, it's been really difficult. I hope it can be seen as a lesson, especially for younger people, to never throw in the towel and to continue with other similar celebrations."

It was definitely an ordeal for the 31-year-old rider as he slowly managed to return to the level he was used to being at. "Marc is a guy who has been touched by God, and that is clear. I don't know if there are many sportsmen who went through what he went through and were able to keep their motivation, agreeing to break one of the longest contracts in the history of  sports and give up everything. We see it in many sports, like golf, soccer, and so on. Almost everyone goes to Arab countries, and this guy did exactly the opposite just to win. There are very few sportsmen in history who have done that, and I think he deserves a lot of respect and admiration," Alzamora' heir continued, throwing a jab at those in other sports who accept the flattery of the Arabs for a mere economic matter.

It's precisely because of his character, and his ability to immediately get in tune with the Desmosedici, which might have been the two decisive elements in his promotion to the official team over Jorge Martin. "Certainly, being quickly strong and competitive with a completely new bike helped," he remarked, before not ruling out leaving Red Bull.

"We've already said goodbye to great teammates like Repsol and Honda, so you never know. We'll see what happens, since there are still several months to go. From the beginning, we've been looking for maximum performance. The category has evolved quite a bit and, if you don't have a fast bike now, it's difficult to fight for victory," he concluded.