Why Marc Marquez wants his protege “to struggle” in Moto2

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has praised Maximo Quiles’ speed after winning the Moto3 title, but hopes his protege “struggles a bit” next year in Moto2.

Eighteen-year-old Quiles is the MotoGP paddock’s hottest young prospect, following a debut season in 2025 where he won three times to finish third in the standings.

And in 2026, he has been a cut above the Moto3 field, winning 10 times to wrap up the championship with five rounds to spare last weekend in Indonesia.

Quiles is a protege of the Marquez brothers and regularly trains with them.

“I want him to learn”

The young Spaniard will step up to Moto2 next season with the Aspar squad on a two-year deal, with it widely expected he’ll be in MotoGP by 2029.

Speaking to reporters, including Crash, in Indonesia, Marc Marquez was asked if he could see himself racing against Quiles in MotoGP.

While Marquez expects him to be fast next year, he says he hopes he “struggles a bit” early on in order to learn from that process and keep his feet on the ground.

“I don’t know, because at the moment he has a two-year contract in Moto2,” he said.

“And it will be the natural process.

“Maximo is a super talented rider, incredible.

“I hope, and I wish, that next year that he struggles a bit, at least, in the first bit of the pre-season and first races, not because I wish the worst for him.

“But because I want him to learn from that experience.

“But what I believe is that he’ll be very fast soon, because many times I trained with him and it doesn’t matter which bike he is riding, he’s very fast.

“So, let’s see. He’s super talented. Now he flies to the moon some days, but feet on the ground and keep working.”

Could Quiles get fast-tracked to MotoGP?

There is a lot of hype around Quiles, which already has people looking at him as a future MotoGP superstar.

It’s not without precedent that Quiles could only spend a year in Moto2 before stepping up to MotoGP in 2028.

Maverick Vinales only spent one season in Moto2 the year after he won the Moto3 championship before being signed by Suzuki in MotoGP.

The likes of Alex Rins and Raul Fernandez also only served one season in Moto2.

But there are few spots available on the grid for 2028, with most contracts locked down until the end of 2028.

That is a good thing for Quiles. Assuming he proves to be strong in Moto2, he will have manufacturers falling over themselves early in 2028 trying to sign him for 2029.

It’s not out of the question a brand could sign him next year on a deal for 2029. The likes of Jorge Lorenzo and Pecco Bagnaia had deals in place at least a year before their premier class steps.