In the year Marc Marquez has yet to appear on a Grand Prix podium in 2026, while Marco Bezecchi has topped the podium in the first two race weekends. Still, Aprilia ambassador Max Biaggi reckons the Spaniard will remain the title favourite.
The biggest sensation going into the 2026 season opener in Thailand is the reigning world champion, Mark Marquezcould be up to his usual pace and dominate the rest of the field for the 8th time in his career.
But, since the meaningful sessions started in Buriram, it is obvious. Marco Bezecchi It won’t go down without a fight. In fact, it is the Italian rider who is taking the fight to his rival, with Marquez struggling with fitness concerns in the longer format Grand Prix.
Is Ducati’s dominance in MotoGP finally over?
Marquez was angry with the result in Brazil At the weekend, as detailed by Neil Hodgson, the likely reason was a lack of strong results. Although the Spaniard’s back is now against the wall, Max Biagi He is still confident that he won this year.
Max Biaggi explains why Marc Marquez is favorite for the 2026 MotoGP title.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport After the conclusion Brazilian Grand PrixWith Bezeci now dominating the premier class, Biaggi was asked his thoughts on the championship.
When asked if the Italian rider, the six-time Grand Prix World Champion, is now the clear favorite for the MotoGP crown, he said:Ducati And Marquez is the champion and therefore the favorite. Beating Mark is hard, and if he has a great bike, it will be even harder.
“Bezechi is succeeding now, but we have to understand that Mark is not making that much of a difference, so he’s having problems that we don’t know about.
Bezecic and Martin are now going strong, but only from the first European GP in Jerez will we see their true strength and understand who is ahead.
True or false? Ducati’s dominance ends in 2026.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments!
“I hope he will be ready to continue this strong pace until the end of the year,” Biaggi explained how important it was to continue his good form at the start of the campaign.
“In that case, the last two or three races at the top of the championship will be very interesting.”
Max Biaggi thinks that the upcoming Americas Grand Prix will shed more light on the true speed of Ducati
In uncharacteristically dry conditions for the Spaniard, Marquez will be encouraged by the next stop on his MotoGP calendar, the American Grand Prix at the America S circuit.
Marquez has won in Texas on seven different occasionsBut he hasn’t made the trip to the podium since 2021.
Asked whether the upcoming Grand Prix will be a somewhat easier test for the grid pecking order, Biaggi said: “Marquez always plays a different sport there: if he doesn’t fall, he wins, if he wins, he wins by a wide margin.”
But if he can’t do it on Sunday, the problem will be clear: Jerez will be a starting point to fully understand the level of the bikes, but next weekend will give some insight into Ducati and our exact position.
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