Marc Marquez’s fitness and rear tire failure ended a difficult weekend for the Spaniard at the Thai Grand Prix.
Question marks hung over it. Ducati Rider to the 2026 season opener. Marquez admitted that he has not fully recovered 2025 from a shoulder injury after the pre-season test.
But, naturally, that doesn’t buy the 33-year-old out of contention. Grand Prix of Thailandenough for the second stage. He fought for victory in the Sprint race, however Marquez is penalized for lunging at Pedro Acosta. And he had to live for P2.
David Tardozzi disagrees with Marc Marquez’s penalty in the Sprint at the Thai GP
Would Pedro Acosta have made a similar move to leadership?
Sunday Marquez He battled for third with Acosta and Jorge Martin as he battled to keep Marco Bezecic and Raul Fernandez in front of them. He found his way off the track in turn four until the rear edge on the Ducati exploded on lap 21.
The shocking incident forced him to retire, but it wasn’t the only concern raised over the weekend. It was clear that Marquez was still struggling with his physicality.
Marc Marquez looks ’empty’ as he did in ‘hurt race’ at Thai Grand Prix
Marquez admitted that he was still ‘not comfortable’ Buriram on the bike because his shoulder was not 100% fit. Journalist Simon Patterson talks about how the Spaniard is struggling. Race MotoGP podcast.
After the Thai GP, he said: “Had he not had problems in the race, he would have finished second.”
“I don’t know if that’s true because after the race on Saturday, Marc Marquez looked as blank as I’ve ever seen him, like, he looks blank in those injury races, any time they tell him he’s in serious pain.
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“He was empty. He was on fire. And what we saw early in the fight on Sunday didn’t convince me that he had a lot of physical energy to continue the fight for another 10 or 15 rounds.
I think there will be times when Marc Marquez’s championship challenger will raise his head at Marc Marquez internally and say ‘I want to win all the time’ and he will settle for something…
“Put him[in contention]don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think he’s there for second.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
Marc Marquez has three weeks to recover properly before the Brazilian Grand Prix
Silvan Guintoli saw Marquez in ‘deep trouble’ in ThailandDucati had a hard time matching the Epirus on the track. The best Ducati rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio, finished over 16 seconds clear of race winner Marco Bezecic.
Of course, it’s early days in 2026, and Marquez has plenty of time to fully recover and mount a serious challenge up front. In fact, MotoGP now has a three-week gap before the next race in Brazil.
The premier class heads to Goiania at the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna on March 20-22. It marked the first race in Brazil since 2004.
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