David Tardozzi was personally ‘hardened’ after Ducati’s poor performance at the Thai Grand Prix, according to Neil Hodgson. The World Champions have reached their 88 tournament podium finish.
Mark Marquez He was trying to keep the series alive when he suffered a tire failure that ended the race. VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio is the other Desmosedici rider in eighth place.
Franco Morbidelli pipped factory rider Francesco Bagnaia to eighth, while Alex Marquez failed to finish for Gresini, leaving challenger Michel Pirro in 19th. Ducati From the builders behind KTM and flagship Aprilia, head to Brazil for a third.
Are you changing any of your 2026 MotoGP predictions after Thailand?
It’s only one race, but there were a few surprises!
Neil Hodgson says Ducati are making excuses that they haven’t done before.
Speaking on Get off the gas podcast, Hodgson Tardozzi struggled to explain Ducati’s incompetence in an off-camera interview after the race.
Ducati has previously experienced problems with Michelin reinforcing the tire treads in particularly hot locations, but this was not a concern during testing at the same circuit a week ago.
Circumstances have changed since then, but Hodgson says Tardozzi has been making completely outlandish excuses. The Borgo Pangale outfit remains the favorite for the title, but Aprilia have underlined their position as a credible threat.
Complete the sentence: Aprilia will win the Grand Prix in 2026.
How many races do you think Apria will win this season? Let us know in the comments below!
“I had a very good relationship. David Tardozi “After the race,” said Hodgson, “we did an interview on TNT Sports, but he was a bit hungover at first. When you’re not on camera, conversations are where you get all the truth.
“He basically said: ‘We’re stunned, we don’t know what happened this week. At the test last weekend, we had the same opinion from all the drivers, we were completely confident, the tire will work, we’ll get a little more life from it.
“He said, ‘Here we are, literally a week later, with a lot of rain – so the rubber doesn’t come off, and when you have the bikes with Pirelli rubber on the other side, it makes it feel different.’
“He said all that, and I thought, ‘It’s funny, I’ve never heard anyone from Ducati use that line, that excuse.'”
Injured Marc Marquez did not have a ‘good time’ in Thailand
Despite not being back to 100% fitness, Marquez once again led the Ducati charge in Thailand. He was within four-hundredths of Marco Bezcicci’s mark, and he lost the sprint to Pedro Acosta due to a controversial penalty.
Still, watching Hodgson at Buriram reminded him of Marquez’s final days at Honda because he was clearly ‘difficult’ on the bike.
Partner Silvan Guintoli was concerned about Marquez’s ‘body language’. during practice. In the year It was only the fourth time since the start of 2025 that he failed to lead during a race weekend.
“In the first few sessions we made comments by watching Marc Marquez,” said Hodgson. “It just doesn’t seem right at all. Part of that is still on his shoulders, which he publicly admits.”
It wasn’t a good time to see Mark comfortable again. We know the horrors he has faced and experienced. It will be a building process for him.
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