One of Marc Marquez’s former teammates has talked up the chances of a shock retirement for the impending world champion.

The 33-year-old is currently signed with Ducati through to the end of 2028, but it’s understood that he has an option to stop at the end of 2027.

Next year beckons in a series of new regulations, and it will also see Marquez pair up with Pedro Acosta, a generational talent who could disrupt his legacy.

Marquez will almost certainly enter 2027 as a 10-time world champion, surpassing former rival Valentino Rossi in the all-time list.

And according to his former Honda teammate Stefan Bradl, that achievement could be enough for Marquez to stun everyone and call it a day.

Bradl predicts Marquez could retire after surpassing Rossi

The long-time MotoGP rider said on Servus TV: "The question is how at peace Marc will be with himself.

"I believe that he will be the one to retire if he wins the title now and thus overtakes Valentino Rossi. My feeling is that he'll say, 'Okay, that's it,' and that he'll then retire with that status.

"There aren't many athletes who have managed to retire at their peak."

This isn’t the first time such a theory has been mooted, with others suggesting the threat of Acosta could cause Marquez to call it quits before being beaten by a teammate for the first time.

Marquez has been through injury hell again this season (Credit: @marcmarquez93)

Pedro Acosta's Ducati arrival adds to retirement speculation

MotoGP Hall of Fame rider Marco Melandri said: "For me, if Marquez wins his tenth World Championship, he could retire.

"Nobody can know for sure. But Ducati needs a plan B, which it doesn't have right now.

“Marquez knows that Acosta, his future teammate, can beat him. He's the first teammate who could achieve that, and it could happen.

“Furthermore, he's following the political and regulatory changes brought about by Liberty Media, with their events and the new format. There are many factors in favour of him retiring if he wins a tenth time.”

Renowned MotoGP journalist Ricard Jove added: "I've always maintained that I will never speak, or I will try not to speak, about Marc when he should or shouldn't retire because, frankly, it's his decision, not mine.

"But it's true that Marc has a lot at stake next year as well. Because it's one thing to retire when he decides and wants to, and another to have the feeling that if your teammate is beating you hard throughout the season, he might force you to retire."

Marquez himself has said throughout this season that Liberty’s ongoing regulation changes will likely shorten his career.

He was particularly critical of the introduction of an extra sprint qualifying session for 2027’s events, and penalties for riders who don’t take part in promotional activities.

However, the idea that surpassing Rossi would be the end goal has been rubbished by the Spaniard himself.

Marquez rejects claims that beating Rossi drives his motivation

Friend and rider coach Fonsi Nieto said in an interview that beating Rossi keeps Marquez motivated amid his ongoing injury hell.

But Marquez responded, rejecting the claim.

He explained: "Well, I understand how he feels... I really do. If someone had said that to me in 2019, I would have said, 'No, no, I want to win even more!'

“At that time, I had just achieved four consecutive victories and was 26 years old, already having won six (MotoGP titles). So, I would’ve agreed with (Nieto's opinion).

“A lot has happened between 2020 and 2023... and I've come to realise that there's something like destiny at play for athletes.”

He continued: “Not just luck or misfortune, but a kind of innate destiny... that is, each athlete has a kind of destiny that determines what kind of career they will have. For example, if a certain soccer player hadn't suffered a knee injury... Nobody knows if I could have done better, right?

“I've had a dream career, but one day I suddenly realised that 'we're all just human beings’. Until then, I'd never even considered the dangers that come with motorcycle racing.

“I'd seen my teammates get injured, but it didn't really sink in until I got injured myself. This year, my brother got injured in Barcelona, ​​so it really hit home.

“As a result of realising that, I've come to care much more about the careers and lives of the athletes.

“That's why winning another title after my injury became so important...it really, really was important.

“Winning my ninth title means that when the time comes to retire, I'll be able to accept it calmly. Whether I win another title or not, my feelings won't change...and neither will I."