Michel Pirro admits Ducati are struggling to compete for Aprilia in the 2026 MotoGP season, as Marc Marquez’s ongoing shoulder injury is one of the problems they face.
The Borgo Panigale brand is in unknown territory compared to recent years, as Ducati Yet after the first three rounds, they failed to gain a Grand Prix podium. Ducati last failed to score well in the first three rounds of the 2022 season.
VR46 rider Fabio Di Gianntonio sits on the podium once again this year on the Ducati Desmosedici GP26. Marquez to P3 at the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, the factory Ducati racer’s best result was Marquez’s P4 finish at the second round in Goiania.
Di Giannantonio is the 2026 Ducati rider on 45 points, 40 ahead of Marquez. Apria rival Marco Bezzecchi leads factory team-mate Jorge Martin with 81 and 77 points respectively, while KTM rider Pedro Acosta is third with 60 points.
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Michel Pirro admits Ducati will not be able to repeat their sprint results at the 2026 Grand Prix.
Pyro He believes. Marquez’s continued recovery from a shoulder injury The surgery required in October has contributed to the Ducati team’s slow start to the 2026 season. MotoGP season. But it wouldn’t be naive to ignore the challenges the Pyro GP26 has presented so far.
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Ducati test rider Piro believes the Bullets of Bologna are struggling to replicate the results achieved by the GG26 during the Grand Prix Sprint Races. Marquez won the Sprint in BrazilAfter taking second place in the Buriram Sprint, the penalty denied him the win.
“Right now (that) time (that) Apria is at its peak,” Piro said. Corriere Romagna. It was bound to happen sooner or later, you hope it’s going to happen sooner or later, but they did a good job, we had a lot of limitations, and we’re defending ourselves.
“Mark is not at his best, but we’ve seen Apria make big strides since the end of last season, and we’ve seen them start really strong this year.
The championship is still long, and I’m sure we’ll find something. This month’s rest was necessary for Mark to recover.
He added: “Aprilia will definitely be in a good position in Jerez. Bezeci has always been very strong, but I think we can still hold our own and be in the game because there are some aspects we can manage.”
“We might be more competitive on Saturday, a little less on Sunday, it’s part of the sport. We’re playing now.”
But it is true that there is a new project starting in 2027, and we have to focus on this new bike. As we always say, we hope to fight for the championship until the end.
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Marquez gave Acosta the Sprint win in Thailand On the final lap, the KTM rider was ordered to drop a spot to get off the track as he took the lead. He also saw Ducati Martin passed Francesco Bagna in the last lap to win the COTA Sprint Last time.
Martin Bagnaian continued to opt for the soft rear Michelin tire as the Aprilia Ace used the medium rear tire very well. But P2 was still the best result Bagnaya After three rounds, he is in ninth place with 25 points, which he has achieved so far in 2026.
Ducati basically relied on Marquez, who was completely inconsistent, to carry them Bagnaya struggled to understand why he was struggling in 2026. Two-time champion Bagnaia often can’t explain why he lacks pace, due to tire wear and a lack of confidence in the GP26 front-end.
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