His shield broke under the pressure of the emotions. Too many, all concentrated in one moment. Marc Marquez screamed, smiled, even cried: "tears started to fall on the last lap, I couldn't even see the braking points," he confesses. On his celebratory T-shirt it says 'More than a number,' because today he did not simply win another trophy to add to his trophy cabinet. It is the return to the top of a rider - and more importantly a man - who seemed shattered, not only physically. After 2,184 days he is world champion once again, the best again.
"I don't want to think about what happened to me in the past, otherwise I feel sick inside. Now I'm at peace with myself, that's the first thought that went through my head - he tries to sum up in one sentence everything he feels - I had an injury, I came back too quickly because of my own decision and then what happened happened. I made hard decisions but they were right, because they got me to today. A circle came full circle: in Japan where I had won my last title and where I had decided to take a different path, with my current team on the podium and with the team I had in Honda, I really enjoyed it all. Fate wanted me to celebrate like this."
"I fought against myself: one Marc told me to stop, another to continue."
What are you feeling?
"I don't know what's going on, I feel like I'm broken. In the last few years I've been fighting so many things, but the hardest one was doing it against myself. One Marc told me one thing and the other Marc another, one told me to stop and the other told me to continue. I tried to follow my instincts, I tried and I succeeded. I don't want to remember what I went through, just enjoy this moment."
Who made you listen to the 'right' Marc?
"It was my friends, my family. What helped me the most was the moment when the team I had in Honda told me: do what you believe, we will always remain friends. Also I have a very stable personal life, I am in love, and that is important in sports. When you're down you can get back up, but when you're down you need someone to help you come out."
Is this title 'more than a number'?
"It is more than a title. I first read that phrase on the big screen, I didn't know anything, like you. For me this championship is more than a championship. It is difficult to understand what I went through and I won't explain it, but it is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. My passion gave me the chance to be here, without it it would have been impossible."
We were used to a 'superhero' Marquez, do you feel more human now?
"Six years ago I didn't know what suffering was, I had only tasted glory. I had had injuries, but I had only been out for a few months, then I was back and winning again. After four years, four operations, diplopia - it was so difficult. Today I couldn't control my emotions, in the end we are all human, we are all the same, everyone has their own talent and we all try to do our best."
Were you thinking of such strong emotion?
"I expected it, because even before the race it was hard for me to breathe normally. I tried to control myself, but when I started crying I went all the way (laughs)."
"When you are at the top, the fall is even harder."
How difficult was it to overcome this?
"When you are at the top, the fall is even harder.You don't go down, you go underground. All the years are important, but my hardest challenge was getting back to the top, even if it meant going to the strongest team and the strongest bike, and that helped me. So many people helped me, if I started naming them all I wouldn't finish, they allowed me to follow my instincts. They gave me the freedom to make my own choices, however it went they would stay with me, they took a burden off me. I have a very strange feeling inside me, when the hours pass everything will become more normal."
You have been juxtaposed with the big names in sports who have risen from their own ashes - Nadal, Jordan, Woods.
"I'm not the person who has to say what I did. I know what I went through, but you are the one to judge. I made my decision and committed myself to my goals. The important thing was not to aim for the top, but for my passion to continue and have fun. So many people put me among the big names in sports, it is an honor, but I am just Marc and I will continue on my way."
So what will be the next understanding of your story?
(laughs) "I don't know, you can't predict the future, you can't know what will happen tomorrow. Now I just think about enjoying the moment, but this story will continue and one day it will end. When it does, I will be at peace with myself. Let me be clear, it doesn't mean that my ambition has changed! (laughs)."
How did you experience this race?
"When I was riding I was focused, but as soon as I thought about what I could achieve I got excited, that's normal. I struggled more today than in 2014 to control my emotions. In the first part I was stiffer than usual to pass Acosta, so I decided to wait until the tires dropped. When I passed him I thought about managing, but Mir was pushing and I did too because I wanted 2nd place. I got a little scared when I saw smoke coming out of Pecco's bike because I was behind him and I would have been the first to crash."
What was the season like?
"Very similar to 2019, I started it well. This year my main rival was Alex, but there were also other riders in some races and the most important thing is that I was always there, on every track and in every condition. That was crucial, because you can't win everything, but you always have to be there in front."
When you first tested Team Gresini's Ducati, did you realise that you could win the World Championship someday?
"I told myself I had made the right choice to come back and fight for the top spots, but I didn't understand and I didn't know if I could do it for the title. Then, last year I found myself again, I started my second life. Fighting with younger riders is a different experience, but also a beautiful one."
"Matching Valentino is an honor and a pleasure."
When did you change your perspective?
"When I joined the official team, I started to see the top of the mountain. I said it in the winter: I was in the best team with the best bike and I had to become champion. That was the first time."
Will the goal from here on out be the same?
"In this sport everything changes from one year to the next. Very few people believed that Alex could fight for the title and nobody just 3 GPs ago thought Pecco could win here, but they did. So I want to enjoy this moment and the last races of the season, keeping my focus and preparing for 2026. Then we'll see how the winter tests go and who will be my rival."
Will you use the number 1?
"No, 93 is part of me and I can't imagine a bike without that number."
You have equaled Valentino's titles, have you thought about that?
"To be included among the great names in sports is a dream. To be able to match the numbers of Agostini, Nieto and Valentino is an extra honor and a pleasure."
Photo Courtesy @ Michelin