Marc Marquez may be more anxious than prepared to publicly announce how much Ducati will fight for the 2026 MotoGP title after their first test.
The Bullets of Bologna endured their worst start to a season since 2013, with their factory outfit yet to score a Grand Prix podium after the first four rounds. Only Gresini pilot Alex Marquez and VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio. Ducati So far as riders to reach the rostrum.
Marc Marquez crashed out of the Spanish GP While running P2 last Sunday, after losing the race lead to his younger brother at Jerez. His failure prevented the elder. Marquez The sibling had the chance to improve on their best Grand Prix finish this year in Brazil’s P4 at the second round.
falling from second place in Spanish GP It helped see Marquez leave Jerez with a 44-point deficit. Marco Bezecchi of Aprilia in the passenger position. The 33-year-old hasn’t faced a major deficit in four rounds since following with 32 in 2024 and 26 in 2015.
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Marc Marquez seems to be more ‘concerned’ than he lets on about the Ducati Aprilia competition
The 2015 and 2024 seasons are the only years in which Marquez finished the campaign without winning the MotoGP title. Marquez finished third behind Jorge Lorenzo when Valentino Rossi left for 2015 and third in 2024 when he used a one-year Ducati.
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But with Marquez struggling to find a strong front end for the Ducati GP26 at the start of the 2026 season, after Monday’s Jerez test the Borgo Pangale brand will improve their situation and Aprilia will still challenge for the title this term.
however, reaping Although Marquez appeared to be ‘very confident’ after sharing optimistic statements, his ‘eyes’ presented a different picture, he reported. Marquez appeared to be a man who ‘didn’t believe’ his own claims and was said to have been ‘bothered’ by something.
It’s unclear what exactly is weighing on Marquez’s mind as he reiterates that he feels “normal”. Márquez arrived in Jerez in his best form ever following an operation last October on a shoulder injury that hampered his early results.
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CEO Claudio Domenicali admitted Marquez’s injury was more “severe” than Ducati expected. It should be at the beginning. The Spaniard suffered the injury during a gravel ride at Mandalika after being taken by Bezeci on the opening lap of the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix.
But Marquez’s injury only played into his early struggles this year, as the Aprilia RS-GP proved to be a match – if not better – for the Ducati GP26 on most tracks. Bezeci won the first three Grands Prix in 2026.
Monday’s Jerez test gives Ducati the opportunity to try to close the gap to Aprilia. Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia agree that Ducati’s aero upgrade has helped. Both improve their feel at the front of the GP26, and the Spaniard suggests Ducati will never be in doubt.
“Ducati are working very hard and they couldn’t do more. If there are more parts to test, the rider is happy, and I never had any doubts. Even if we are struggling more than last year, the potential is there,” said Marquez.
“We tried a lot of things, and almost all Ducati riders gave the same opinion. My opinion was very clear about the response of the bike. And I tried to ride under 1.37 to understand what I wanted to understand.”
He added: “We have focused on every situation and found a number of solutions on the aerodynamics and chassis. It was an important test to try to find out first-hand what feeling we lacked in these first rounds of the MotoGP championship.”
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