Marc Marquez isn’t afraid to make big changes to his new Ducati GP26 on day two of the 2026 Sepang pre-season test, despite a full timesheet on day one.
The 32-year-old topped the opening day of qualifying at the home of the Malaysian Grand Prix after setting a lap of 1:57.018 on Tuesday. Marquez was 0.256s off the field on day one at Sepang. And 0.277s is the fastest non-Ducati clean.
Even the first day at Sepang marked a first. Marquez He has ridden a MotoGP bike since October’s Indonesian Grand Prix. The Spaniard will need surgery on a shoulder injury sustained by Aprilia rival Marco Bezecic on the way out at Mandalica.
But Marquez was still looking for more performance from his new job. Ducati GP26 on day two at Seppang, where he only finished as the 15th fastest rider. The 2025 MotoGP champion only set a 1:58.386 in Wednesday morning’s session, before rain interrupted in the afternoon.
Marc Marquez returned to using Ducati 2024-spec front aero on Day 2 of the Sepang test.
Marquez used the Sepang test as an opportunity to test Ducati’s latest front aero package. The Borgo Pangale outfit first unveiled their aggressive new aero package during last week’s shakedown test at Seppang, with the GP26 featuring an upgraded fairing, wings and other components.
Read more: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined in five moments
Ducati’s latest two-stage front aero is the most impressive, thanks to its larger wings, inner tubes and improved airbox intake. However, Jack Appleyard looked at MotoGP’s. Noon live broadcast Marquez reverted to using Ducati 2024-spec front aero on day two at the Sepang test.
Apple Yard said: “Marc caught my eye by returning to the 2024 Aero for the first time since the Jerez test.
“The wings are so big, they create so much downforce that it changes the balance of the bike a lot and it’s going to take some time to work out how to add that new air, because it’s so heavy at the front.
But he’s playing with that, he’s playing with the ’25’ he’s used to. And more than that, going back to the ’24, Ducati is still, almost two years on, chasing their tails to find a way to improve on the ’24 bike, which they couldn’t quite do last year.
At GP24 they have achieved perfection. They tried to improve (but) they couldn’t. And even here, they still come back to 2024 items to make sure it’s still the best package they’re offering two years from now.
What did Marc Marquez say about the Ducati 2026 aero package at the Sepang test?
All four have factory contracts The Ducati riders were delighted with their first impressions of the GP26. At the Sepang test, with many likening Desmosedici’s latest iteration to GP24, George Martin won the riders’ title with Pramac’s works racer Francesco Bagnaian.
Marquez believed that “everything” was working well for Ducati on the first day of Sepang.Also after setting the speed. But the Bologna Bullets will be looking for performances ahead of the Buriram Test on February 21-22 and the Thai Grand Prix on March 1.
“You really feel a big change in the aircraft,” Marquez said of the Ducati 2026 Aero after a day at the Sepang test. Crash. “It’s true that we have to be very patient with new aerodynamics, because the balance of the bike changes a lot.
“That’s where we still have to work. It will be important to decide well, because the Thai test and the Thai GP are so close, we have to be smart with everything here.”
