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Marc Marquez: “Money or the best bike? That’s how I was taught”
MotoGP champion Marc Marquez reveals how early career advice shaped his attitude towards money.
When Marc Marquez negotiated an early exit from his Repsol Honda contract to join the satellite Gresini Ducati team in 2024, he went from being MotoGP’s top earner to riding without a wage.
But it was a gamble that paid dividends, rejuvenating his career and paving the way for a long-awaited ninth world title with the factory Ducati team last season.
The importance of machinery over money had been drilled into Marquez long before he reached MotoGP.
“When you arrive in the world championship, what are you looking for, money or the best bike? That’s how I was taught; I was very lucky. They trained me mentally, and now I understand,” Autobild.es quotes Marquez as saying.
The factory Ducati star also offered a glimpse into how he spends some of the rewards from his spectacular career, including a one-million-euro bonus for winning the 2013 title in his rookie season at Repsol Honda.
“That’s where I met my current lawyer. There’s an accountant who handles my finances and the lawyer,” Marquez said. “He told me, ‘[The bonus] seems like a lot, but it’s not much, just leave it in the bank.’”
Indeed, half of that bonus went to the Spanish tax authorities, ten per cent to his manager, and some of the rest on bikes for training.
Marquez’s biggest residential investment is a 1,300 square-metre property in Madrid, valued at around ten million euros, where he now lives.
“It’s an investment… I haven’t lost [that money], it’s there. The house is paid for,” Marquez said.
Marquez was hit hard by public criticism of a planned move to Andorra – located only 120km from his hometown of Cervera – early in his MotoGP career and has remained a Spanish tax resident.
“I want to make it clear that I pay, and I’ll continue to pay my taxes in Spain,” Marquez said at the time.
The 33-year-old confirmed his current tax status to Autobild.es: “I have no debts, neither to anyone nor to myself. I’m self-employed, I’m not a company, I don’t have a limited liability company.
“I have employees, but for the tax authorities, I’m self-employed. So I declare myself as self-employed… I don’t want to be in the newspapers or anything like that.”
Despite his wealth, Marquez insists his lifestyle remains unchanged.
“I’m lucky that money hasn’t changed my lifestyle. This happens a lot: people start earning a lot of money and it changes their lifestyle.
“But I have just as much fun with my friends anywhere, I don’t need to pose.”
Despite some concerns over the shoulder injury sustained at Mandalika last season, Marquez is expected to sign a new two-year contract extension with the Ducati Lenovo team, extending his MotoGP career until the end of 2028.
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MotoGP champion Marc Marquez reveals how early career advice shaped his attitude towards money.
When Marc Marquez negotiated an early exit from his Repsol Honda contract to join the satellite Gresini Ducati team in 2024, he went from being MotoGP’s top earner to riding without a wage.
But it was a gamble that paid dividends, rejuvenating his career and paving the way for a long-awaited ninth world title with the factory Ducati team last season.
The importance of machinery over money had been drilled into Marquez long before he reached MotoGP.
“When you arrive in the world championship, what are you looking for, money or the best bike? That’s how I was taught; I was very lucky. They trained me mentally, and now I understand,” Autobild.es quotes Marquez as saying.
The factory Ducati star also offered a glimpse into how he spends some of the rewards from his spectacular career, including a one-million-euro bonus for winning the 2013 title in his rookie season at Repsol Honda.
“That’s where I met my current lawyer. There’s an accountant who handles my finances and the lawyer,” Marquez said. “He told me, ‘[The bonus] seems like a lot, but it’s not much, just leave it in the bank.’”
Indeed, half of that bonus went to the Spanish tax authorities, ten per cent to his manager, and some of the rest on bikes for training.
Marquez’s biggest residential investment is a 1,300 square-metre property in Madrid, valued at around ten million euros, where he now lives.
“It’s an investment… I haven’t lost [that money], it’s there. The house is paid for,” Marquez said.
Marquez was hit hard by public criticism of a planned move to Andorra – located only 120km from his hometown of Cervera – early in his MotoGP career and has remained a Spanish tax resident.
“I want to make it clear that I pay, and I’ll continue to pay my taxes in Spain,” Marquez said at the time.
The 33-year-old confirmed his current tax status to Autobild.es: “I have no debts, neither to anyone nor to myself. I’m self-employed, I’m not a company, I don’t have a limited liability company.
“I have employees, but for the tax authorities, I’m self-employed. So I declare myself as self-employed… I don’t want to be in the newspapers or anything like that.”
Despite his wealth, Marquez insists his lifestyle remains unchanged.
“I’m lucky that money hasn’t changed my lifestyle. This happens a lot: people start earning a lot of money and it changes their lifestyle.
“But I have just as much fun with my friends anywhere, I don’t need to pose.”
Despite some concerns over the shoulder injury sustained at Mandalika last season, Marquez is expected to sign a new two-year contract extension with the Ducati Lenovo team, extending his MotoGP career until the end of 2028.
When Marc Marquez negotiated an early exit from his Repsol Honda contract to join the satellite Gresini Ducati team in 2024, he went from being MotoGP’s top earner to riding without a wage.
But it was a gamble that paid dividends, rejuvenating his career and paving the way for a long-awaited ninth world title with the factory Ducati team last season.
The importance of machinery over money had been drilled into Marquez long before he reached MotoGP.
“When you arrive in the world championship, what are you looking for, money or the best bike? That’s how I was taught; I was very lucky. They trained me mentally, and now I understand,” Autobild.es quotes Marquez as saying.
The factory Ducati star also offered a glimpse into how he spends some of the rewards from his spectacular career, including a one-million-euro bonus for winning the 2013 title in his rookie season at Repsol Honda.
“That’s where I met my current lawyer. There’s an accountant who handles my finances and the lawyer,” Marquez said. “He told me, ‘[The bonus] seems like a lot, but it’s not much, just leave it in the bank.’”
Indeed, half of that bonus went to the Spanish tax authorities, ten per cent to his manager, and some of the rest on bikes for training.
Marquez’s biggest residential investment is a 1,300 square-metre property in Madrid, valued at around ten million euros, where he now lives.
“It’s an investment… I haven’t lost [that money], it’s there. The house is paid for,” Marquez said.
Marquez was hit hard by public criticism of a planned move to Andorra – located only 120km from his hometown of Cervera – early in his MotoGP career and has remained a Spanish tax resident.
“I want to make it clear that I pay, and I’ll continue to pay my taxes in Spain,” Marquez said at the time.
The 33-year-old confirmed his current tax status to Autobild.es: “I have no debts, neither to anyone nor to myself. I’m self-employed, I’m not a company, I don’t have a limited liability company.
“I have employees, but for the tax authorities, I’m self-employed. So I declare myself as self-employed… I don’t want to be in the newspapers or anything like that.”
Despite his wealth, Marquez insists his lifestyle remains unchanged.
“I’m lucky that money hasn’t changed my lifestyle. This happens a lot: people start earning a lot of money and it changes their lifestyle.
“But I have just as much fun with my friends anywhere, I don’t need to pose.”
Despite some concerns over the shoulder injury sustained at Mandalika last season, Marquez is expected to sign a new two-year contract extension with the Ducati Lenovo team, extending his MotoGP career until the end of 2028.
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/motogp/news/1092924/1/marc-marquez-money-or-best-bike-thats-how-i-was-taught”]