Marc Marquez admits MotoGP injuries make him want to retire as he opens up on 12-year wait for second Silverstone win

MOTOGP icon Marc Marquez has admitted the injuries he gets from his line of work has left him questioning whether he should continue to ride. Ducati rider Marquez is the reigning world champion in MotoGP and has remarkably brought himself back into contention this year after cutting a 102-point deficit down to just 18 before this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Marc Marquez has opened up on the toll MotoGP injuries have had on him Credit: Getty Marquez has cut the MotoGP championship lead down from 102 to 18 points Credit: AFP Marquez, who is contracted to his team until 2028 has plenty of experience in both winning, losing, and injuring himself, which is something he admits sometimes makes him want to retire. Speaking exclusively to SunSport, he said: “I mean, in one way, yes, but in the other way, on the mental side, still I feel ready to do it. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! “And then Ducati gave me the opportunity and the chance to continue on this amazing team, because yeah, we did amazing last year. “They believe in me, so they know and understand that I will give my 100 per cent to be fit and competitive on the race track. “In some moments – ones I hope never arrive – your physical condition says, ‘stop’. [But] at the moment, I feel like I’m improving. “We are there, competitive, and I don’t feel any reason, or see any reason to stop my career.” The 33-year-old is already a seven-time world champion, but has no plans to step aside for his younger rivals as he hunts for an eighth. But being a rider in MotoGP is full of occupational hazards, which the Spaniard has fresh in his memory after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder following an injury sustained last October at the Indonesian Grand Prix. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The best travel deals for F1 NOTHING comes close to the thrill of a live Grand Prix – and YOU can be there to see it all. Get the full F1 experience with these unbeatable deals. 🇳🇱 HOLLAND – 20 to 25 Aug – From £1,089pp 🇮🇹 ITALY – 3 to 8 Sept – From £789pp 🇦🇿 AZERBAIJAN – 22 to 27 Sept – From £1,399pp 🇸🇬 SINGAPORE– 7 to 14 Oct – From £1,999pp 🇺🇸 AUSTIN, USA – 21 to 26 Oct – From £2,799pp 🇶🇦 QATAR – 27 to 29 Nov – From £1,049pp 🇦🇪 ABU DHABI – 4 to 6 Dec – From £2,049pp See ALL our F1 travel offers HERE *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Marquez cut his summer break holiday short to work on his physical fitness, something he says has helped him to “feel better”. Despite winning three of the last four races before the summer break, Marquez says he does not expect to win this weekend, both due to the track not being the best for him – with Marquez without a win at Silverstone since 2014 – and the hunger of his rivals. He added: “It’s not one of the best layouts for me. “I’ve only won one time [here] in MotoGP, in 2014, a long time ago. So that means that it’s not one of the best circuits for my riding style. “Long right corners are one of my weak points of the riding style. We have strong points and weak points. And here, always I struggle a bit. “But let’s see if this year… I don’t expect to win the race, honestly speaking, but [I will] try to fight for the top positions and for that top five… “11 races to go are a lot. And with the sprint race, main race, this championship will be very long, especially because we have five riders very close. “So let’s see if we can fight until the end, this will be the target. And if we want to fight for that target, we need to score points every race weekend.” Marquez has not won around Silverstone for 12 years Credit: Getty The Ducati star admits the track is not suited to his style Credit: Getty Marquez sits third in the standings with a 30-point spread of points from championship leader, Jorge Martín, to Ai Ogura, Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Being in the chasing pack compared to setting the pace makes no difference to Marquez, as he tells SunSport the “ambition is the same one”, to win. The only difference year-to-year he explains is the amount of experience you have to try and use. Thursday saw the late Barry Sheene inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame, somewhere Marquez is sure to also be welcomed whenever he eventually steps away from the sport. Marquez underwent surgery on his shoulder earlier this year Credit: Ducati Corse But he says he feels no reason to stop his career Credit: EPA Regardless, he is flattered to have such comparisons put his way, but only wants to worry about it when he retires. Marquez also spoke about why there haven’t been many British riders on the grid recently, with Honda’s Cal Crutchlow the only Briton racing this weekend – and even he is only a substitute in place of an injured team-mate. He explained: “It’s difficult, but one of the reasons is a British rider, if he wants to improve a lot, he needs to move very young to Spain, to Italy, or to countries where the level is super high. “But now they are working very hard here with the Talent Cup to check if new rider talent can arrive from other countries, and one of them can be England.” Comment now