Marc Marquez's Age: A Warning from Former MotoGP Rival Jorge Lorenzo
As Marc Marquez prepares for the 2026 MotoGP preseason, defending his title against a growing list of rivals, former champion Jorge Lorenzo warns that age is a factor that cannot be ignored. The 32-year-old Marquez became MotoGP's oldest champion in the four-stroke era in 2025, ending the season with a shoulder injury that will keep him off the bike for around three months until the Sepang test in February. This absence saw the rise of Aprilia, with Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez winning the final two races.
However, it's Marquez's age that Lorenzo believes will be the biggest challenge for the Ducati Lenovo Team rider in the coming years. Speaking to the MotoGP world feed during the Valencia test, Lorenzo said, "The future you can never know. [Nobody] can know because otherwise we will all win the lottery. So, it’s very difficult. Always you can [have] some surprises, like this year Alex Marquez and Bezzecchi with Aprilia; also some disappointments. But I think Marc Marquez now is 32, he will be 33, he will be 34 in 2027. So, little-by-little, the age is affecting you negatively: you start losing reflexes little-by-little; you start losing risk when the situation is complicated on the track; and the young riders are coming very strong. Pedro [Acosta] will be stronger; Martin, Bezzecchi, and Bagnaia are 27, 28, so are in the best age possible. So, little-by-little, Marc, in the future, will struggle [with] the age thing as all the sportsmen in history [did], in all sports. Nothing is forever."
Despite Marquez's age, Lorenzo has no doubts about his potential in the present moment. "For the moment, he’s [Marquez] the most complete rider; let’s see this injury, very long injury, how it will affect. But I see Aprilia and Bezzecchi very strong, Aprilia is unbelievable, it’s a very compact bike, very stable – has not a weak point at this moment. I think it’s, if not at the same level as Ducati, maybe a little bit stronger now. Aprilia is very strong, Alex [Marquez] is there, so I think for Marc – theoretically – it should be more difficult to have as much victories as this year [in 2026]."
