On November 11, Marquez had
secured his 8th pole of the season, setting him up in the best possible way for
the final race on Sunday. From the beginning of the race, he was consistently
fighting aggressively for the lead. From mid-race, Marquez opted to maintain
his position, and finished on the podium in third place to seal his
championship victory. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa won the race, contributing to the
team's success in winning the team title.
Marquez debuted in the MotoGP
class in 2013 from Honda's factory team, Repsol Honda Team, and became the
youngest rider to win the championship. The following year was just as
successful, with Marquez winning 13 grands prix including 10 straight wins, to
become the champion for the second year in a row.
With his fourth title this year, Marquez
becomes the youngest MotoGP premier class rider to win the championship four
times. Honda also earned a back-to-back constructors title, and with Repsol
Honda Team taking the team title, Honda has achieved its first triple crown
since 2014.
"I pushed hard from the
beginning to control the race, so I could win here in Valencia and secure my
4th championship title, but made a mistake at Turn 1 after overtaking Johann
[Zarco, Yamaha]. I felt it was risky to keep on fighting him, so I concentrated
on finishing the race. That's when Andrea [Dovizioso, Ducati] retired and I realized I won the
championship. The first half of the season was physically and mentally tough. I
didn't felt comfortable in the first few rounds, but thanks to the team's
efforts, I started to have fun in the following races. Today's race was just
amazing! It only really sunk in that I became champion when I returned to the
parc ferme with my team!," said an elated Marquez.