Marc Marquez has offered a candid insight into what motivates him to keep returning to the MotoGP grid despite a bruising three years stymied by injury woes, painful crashes and a downturn in the competitiveness of Honda.

With eight Grand Prix World Championship titles to his name, Marquez ranks as one of motorcycle racing’s all-time greats with much of his success achieved remarkably quickly too

Becoming the first rider to win the premier class title in his rookie season, as well as the youngest at just 20-years old, Marquez would go on to lift the MotoGP crown a further five times over the ensuing six seasons.

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Arguably at the height of his powers upon winning his sixth MotoGP World Championship title in just seven years come the end of the 2019 season, Marquez’s career-changing arm injury during the opening round of the 2020 MotoGP season at Jerez - which ruled him out for the remainder of the year - has gone on to trigger a frustrating spiral of injury lay-offs and gritty comebacks.

Indeed, it has been a drama-filled three seasons for Marquez since returning to the grid in 2021 with high-profile on-track incidents, a recurrence of a diplopia eye condition, corrective surgeries and difficulties gelling with the latest evolution Honda RC213V taking their toll on the 85-time GP race winner.

Having started just 37 of the 80 MotoGP races to have taken place since the start of the 2020 MotoGP season, Marquez admits there are those close to him advising him to consider stepping away from racing.

It is an outcome he admits he has considered, but maintains he is as motivated as ever to get back to the sharp end and compete for a ninth GP title.

"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," he told the BBC.

"It was three years of 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."

For now though, Marquez is arguably facing the biggest challenge of his career to date as he struggles to tap back into the scintillating performance on a Honda RC213V that has been lambasted for being unpredictable and temperamental.

After nine rounds the Spaniard is yet to reach the flag of a full-length race, while his best result remains a third place during the inaugural MotoGP Sprint Race at the Portimao opener.

In a season headlined by a series of high-profile incidents, most notably his collision with Miguel Oliveira in Portugal, his late crash out of third place in France and his five huge smashes in Germany, Marquez insists he isn’t giving up on his 2023 MotoGP campaign.

"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."