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The World Championship of maturity

Marc Marquez becomes youngest five-time World Champion in motorcycle racing history, in a season that he has handled more intelligently than ever.

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Marc Marquez became MotoGP World Champion once again this past Sunday, after his win at the Japanese Grand Prix. As with his first title in the premier class, his victory was accompanied by records: At 23 years, 7 months and 27 days old, the Spanish rider is the youngest rider ever to win five World Championships in Grand Prix racing, overtaking Valentino Rossi (at 24 years, 7 months and 26 days). He joins a select list of five time titlists, alongside names like Mick Doohan, Jorge Lorenzo and Anton Mang.

The 2016 season has also meant a change in style for Marquez. More mature and calculating than ever, the Repsol Honda rider has been able to score points in each of the fifteen rounds held so far this season. He is the only man in any of the three GP classes to do so. For the first time since he began participating in MotoGP, Marquez has more points after the first fifteen races of the season from results that are not victories (148) than from his win total (125). These numbers reflect the intelligence with which he has handled the 2016 campaign.