Neil Hodgson says Marc Marquez’s behavior in the Ducati garage is ‘very rare’ for a MotoGP rider.

Ducati publishes behind-the-scenes footage from each race on their YouTube channel as part of their ‘Inside’ series. In a clip after Austin, Marquez admitted that he ‘struggled’.

‘Too many’ MotoGP riders blame the team, but not Marc Marquez

Hodgson who was speaking on Get off the gas Podcast, Marquez said that it is ‘very clear’ that he is not ‘100% fit’, which may be why he refuses to criticize the team.

But Hodgson said it was ‘very rare’ for a rider to take on the responsibility as the nine-time world champion did in the US.

Márquez is currently ranked second out of six Ducati riders in the standings, five points behind GP26 rider Di Giannantonio (VR46).

Are Marc Marquez’ injuries finally catching up with him?

Last year’s runner-up, Alex Marquez, was only eighth, one place ahead of his factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia. This strongly suggests Ducati is back.

“I don’t know if you watch Ducati’s YouTube channel,” Hodgson said. “You know what I found really interesting? Obviously, it was fixed by Ducati, so they put this in, but it was so rare to hear it that it meant a lot to me.”

“You’re Marc Marquez, you’re in, you’re making your statement, and all he’s done is blame himself. He said, ‘It’s not the bike.’

“I knew he wasn’t 100% fit. Beth was able to pull five meters hard coming up that ‘S’ section to open up that part of the track, and it was pretty obvious to see.”

“He didn’t have Mark, did he? Wow, I’ve been in a lot of garages. I know what I’m talking about as a former rider, I’ve listened to my teammates for many years and I’ve listened to a lot of riders since I retired, and it’s rare to hear that.”

An unexpected break in the 2026 MotoGP season could save Marc Marquez.

Marquez’s title hopes will probably be saved by the forced break in the season, with the Qatar GP postponed.

This gives Ducati time to investigate their shortcomings and offer solutions to Aprilia. When the champions visit Qatar late in the season, the pecking order could look very different.

But most importantly, Marquez got more time to rest. With his shoulder being his biggest obstacle so far following an injury last fall, time is his greatest ally.

Any gap in the schedule would have hampered Bezecic’s historic progress, but with Marquez now approaching peak fitness, the change in the calendar could change the dynamics of the championship.