Marc Marquez admits he considered retirement from MotoGP during 'nightmare' three years of injury struggles

Marc Marquez has described his last three years in MotoGP as a “nightmare” and admitted his recent struggles have had him and those around him questioning his future in the sport.

The Honda rider is a six-time world champion but has made more headlines for crashing and breaking bones of late, despite eyeing a fresh start in 2023.

Such has been his accident record this year that Marquez missed five of the eight races before the summer break.

A fractured hand at the season opener in Portugal meant he had to sit out the next three races, but worse was to come in Germany when he broke his hand, ribs and ankle during the warm-up.

And he has now revealed just how big a toll these incidents have had on him both physically and mentally.

"I feel ready to fight for the victories, but for some reason I am not able to do it," Marquez told BBC Sport.

"And then a lot of crashes and other injuries... it is difficult for the mental side.

"The personal life is the best moment in my life so this compensates a bit, and the people around me try to help."

Marquez won four straight titles between 2016 and 2019, beating some legends of the sport to break countless records.

But his run came to a sudden halt in 2020 when a broken arm at the opening race in Spain put an end to his season, and he points to that moment as the “start of my nightmare.”

A nightmare, he admits, that has had him and people in his inner circle questioning his future in MotoGP.

"All my career has been very sweet and everything easy - a lot of wins and eight World Championships, and then it was the start of my nightmare," Marquez added.

"It was three years suffering a lot. I wouldn't lie to you if I say it was the time to say, ‘Maybe it is time to stop my career', but this is not the kind of decision that you can take from one day to another one.

"Some people around me say it is time to stop, but most other people say to try to continue and that is what I am doing.

“The passion is there, the motivation is there, and I need to find a way to enjoy it on the race track - that is most important."

MotoGP returns this weekend at Silverstone, as does Marquez. The Spaniard thinks the break came at the perfect time for him to recover physically and rebuild his confidence as he targets a seventh championship that would draw him level with Valentino Rossi next year.

"The summer break arrived at the best moment for me," he says. "I got a lot of injuries during the first part of the season; I was quite empty in the last races.

"A lot of crashes - the rib was broken, the finger was broken, the ankle was broken. I took that time to rebuild my body and also to rebuild my energy."

He added: "Every single year, when I start the season it is to fight for the championship. Doesn't matter if it's for the ninth World Championship or the first World Championship, I will fight in the same way.

"MotoGP is constant evolution. You need to always be there and try to improve as other manufacturers and other riders are improving, so that is what I am looking for in this second part of the season.

"It is time to reveal that confidence and I hope next year to think again about the championship. The spirit is there."

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