Marc Marquez stunned fans at the San Marino Grand Prix by stepping onto the podium wearing only his underwear beneath his red Ducati race suit, a daring celebration he had prepared the night before. This memorable moment not only celebrated his victory, but also carried deeper meanings connected to his recent performances and his ongoing MotoGP season.
After a crash in the Misano sprint race the day before, where some local fans still harbored resentment towards him due to past MotoGP rivalries, Marquez clinched a strong win on Sunday, marking his 11th victory of the season. The Spaniard chose to mark this milestone with a celebration reminiscent of Leo Messi‘s famous 2017 goal celebration at Madrid‘s Bernabeu stadium, drawing parallels between the worlds of football and motorcycle racing.
The Symbolism Behind Marquez’s Post-Race Gesture
Marquez’s decision to reveal his race suit on the podium echoed Messi’s iconic moment and carried dual significance. It acknowledged Marquez’s dominance in Italy this year, having taken victories both at Mugello—where he ended an 11-year Ducati drought—and at Misano. Despite a quieter crowd than the day before, Marquez left the meaning of his act open to interpretation, allowing fans to draw their own conclusions about his symbolic gesture.
Reflecting on the moment, Marquez expressed satisfaction with his performance in Italy, saying,
“I felt the pressure this weekend to win the Italian GPs in Mugello and here, so I’m happy for it.”
He also linked his celebration to that of Messi, stating,
“Messi was talking playing football, I do the talking riding bikes. It’s the best way. I feel like it was time to celebrate …”
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
A Season of Triumphs and Records for Marquez
Marquez’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary. His recent victory at Misano was his 11th win in just 16 Grand Prix starts, putting this season close to matching his best years in 2014 and 2019. Dominating the sprint races with 14 wins out of 16, he has amassed 512 points, surpassing Jorge Martin’s 2024 record of 508 points for a single season, with six rounds still remaining.
This points advantage means Marquez could secure the 2025 MotoGP championship at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, a venue where he won three titles with Honda. To clinch the championship, he needs to outscore his younger brother Alex Marquez by at least three points. Despite the emotional weight of potentially winning in Honda’s backyard after switching to Ducati, Marquez remains focused on capturing the title itself rather than the location.
“It doesn’t matter if we celebrate in Japan or Indonesia,”
Marquez said.
“It’s amazing, something amazing … still unreal. But, I don’t want to lose the concentration, I just want to keep the same level.”
He added,
“It’s true that it looks like it’s a matter of time and we will achieve our main goal, but be calm … I want to keep pushing and finish the season in the best way possible.”
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
Rivalry Intensifies with Marco Bezzecchi
Throughout the season, rivals have pushed Marquez hard, with Marco Bezzecchi proving to be the fiercest challenger. At the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, Bezzecchi shadowed Marquez for 26 laps, constantly challenging him but ultimately falling short by just six-tenths of a second. The Misano race flipped this dynamic; Bezzecchi led from pole position on his Aprilia, with Marquez as the only rider keeping pace.
The race was intense, with Marquez finally seizing the lead after Bezzecchi made a mistake 12 laps in at Turn 8. Despite losing the lead, Bezzecchi never gave up, maintaining pressure until the final laps. Marquez’s exhaustion was evident when he collapsed on the cool-down room floor before removing his Ducati leathers for his podium statement.
“It was one of the toughest [races] of the season, together with Assen where Marco was pushing me,”
Marquez admitted.
“Marco was a super-tough opponent, congrats to him because even being faster than ever in the final laps, he was replying in a very good way. Both of us were pushing more than usual.”
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
The final margin of 0.568 seconds came after Marquez set the fastest lap with three laps to go, barely edged by Bezzecchi’s subsequent best lap. Marquez’s victory served as a redemption after his earlier sprint race error.
“Today I had a special fire inside of me,”
he noted.
“After yesterday’s mistake, always I try to reply in the best way possible, and the best reply was to try to win the race. The heart rate was super high the last few laps. In the last laps, I put all my cards on the table, but the reply from Marco was amazing.”
—Marc Marquez, MotoGP rider
Bezzecchi Reflects on Competitive Edge and Relationship with Marquez
Marco Bezzecchi, a product of Valentino Rossi’s Tavullia rider academy and racing on home soil at Misano, has had a complex relationship with Marquez. Their rivalry has become more pronounced since Bezzecchi joined the premier class with Aprilia in 2022. Over the past nine rounds, Bezzecchi has scored the second-most points after Marquez, highlighting their frequent on-track battles.
Bezzecchi spoke candidly about their status, saying,
“It’s normal when you fight to have some tough moments, and also I think I was more immature in the past compared to now. It was difficult … right now, for me it’s good. Marc is of course a rival so we are not best friends, but it’s like this between all the MotoGP riders. We have a good relationship in terms of respect to each other, and on track we can do good races.”
—Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP rider
Although Bezzecchi did not consider his Misano performance better than his British Grand Prix victory, the weekend’s results, including pole position, a sprint race win, and a narrow chase in the main race, bolstered his confidence.
“The win obviously has a different taste, but in terms of overall performance and the mood of the weekend, it’s one of the best,”
he stated.
“Not the best, because when you win it’s much better, but one of the best. It was a tough race, but it was also really beautiful. I gave my all, I wanted the victory so bad, and I believed a lot. But I really can’t complain at all because I gave everything I had, and for the fans it was cool.”
Bezzecchi added,
“I knew that Marc wasn’t going to give me a chance. I had to take this chance by myself, but it wasn’t enough. But I’m happy, because we were completely on the limit.”
—Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP rider
Francesco Bagnaia Endures Difficult Weekend at Misano
Francesco Bagnaia, Marquez’s Ducati teammate and a former two-time Misano winner, had a weekend to forget. Qualified eighth, Bagnaia failed to score points in the sprint race, finishing 13th, and crashed out on lap nine of the main Grand Prix. This poor run contributed to his slide in the championship standings, as he scored only 24 points over the last three rounds and dropped behind Bezzecchi in third place overall.
Jack Miller’s Challenging San Marino Weekend and Controversial Gesture
Australian rider Jack Miller faced a tough San Marino event, recovering from a crash in final practice that forced him to use a spare Yamaha in qualifying. Starting 21st—the worst grid position of his 2025 season—Miller managed to finish 14th in the sprint and 12th in the main race under difficult windy conditions.
Despite the resilience on track, Miller’s post-race moment led to an unexpected fine. After noticing a fan with a sign requesting his gloves during the pre-race parade, Miller stopped on track to hand over his gloves as a keepsake. However, to make the exchange, he briefly rode back onto the circuit facing oncoming riders, violating regulations and resulting in a 2000 Euro (A$3569) penalty.
“It was a relatively decent day considering where we started and where we finished,”
Miller commented.
“I felt pretty confident, pretty good on the bike between lap eight to probably six laps to go, the bike was in a sweet spot. But once we got to the latter stages of the race on the light fuel tank [the bike] was almost a little bit too stiff, I struggled a lot with bump absorption and it was hard to get the bike to pitch and transfer.”
“The pace was there or thereabouts [but] it was very hard the last five laps, on the last lap I hit the kerb pretty hard at Turn 11-12 and the f**king thing started shaking, and I didn’t even bother continuing to try to accelerate, I just rolled out of it.”
—Jack Miller, MotoGP rider
Miller related the fine to his gesture, explaining,
“I saw this morning there was a fan with a sign saying ‘give us your gloves and I’ll give you a beer’. I pulled up and I overshot him a little bit, so I went about 30 metres back up the road and to do a U-turn I went back on the track, and thought there was nobody coming so I could give the fan the gloves.”
“I was happy to oblige and give them a set of gloves and it was a very nice moment … and then I got the 2000 Euro fine. And I didn’t get the beer …”
—Jack Miller, MotoGP rider
Looking Ahead: What Marquez’s Form Means for MotoGP
Marc Marquez’s dominant season and bold celebration at San Marino underscore his relentless pursuit of a seventh premier-class MotoGP title, a comeback story lingering on the verge of completion. His ongoing battle with Marco Bezzecchi and the championship chase against younger riders like Alex Marquez highlight the intense competition shaping this season’s final rounds.
As the championship heads to Japan, the site of Marquez’s previous triumphs and the pivotal next race, all eyes remain on the world champion-elect’s ability to maintain focus and close out what has become an historic MotoGP campaign for Ducati.
