MotoGP: Marc Marquez wins seventh title to equal Valentino Rossi

Spain’s Marc Marquez completed his incredible comeback story as he won his seventh MotoGP World Championship to move level with Italian great Valentino Rossi.

Marquez, 32, finished second at the Japan Grand Prix behind Italian team-mate Francesco Bagnaia to give himself an unassailable lead in the championship standings with five races to go as he secured his first title since 2019.

He held his head in his hands and sobbed on his bike as he crossed the line, before being congratulated by his brother Alex, who was his nearest challenger in the title race this season but finished sixth in Motegi.

“It’s impossible even to speak, I just want to enjoy the moment, but it’s true that it was difficult, it was super difficult, but now I’m at peace with myself,” a tearful Marquez said.

Marquez’s achievement comes after a “nightmare” that started in 2020.

After winning four consecutive championships from 2016 to 2019 he suffered a string of injuries, including breaking his arm in 2020, which needed four operations over two years.

The years that followed were filled with serious injuries and major crashes, and in 2023 he left Honda after 11 years to join Ducati.

“I did a big mistake in my career, to come back too early [from surgery]. And then I fight, fight, fight – and I won again! So I’m at peace,” he added.

Marquez has 11 wins this season and stretched his championship lead to 201 points over his brother in second place.