Marc Marquez had a tough weekend at COTA as he completed the podium for his third consecutive Grand Prix in 2026.
The United States Grand Prix is usually b Ducati But Knight struggled to compete at the front. Marquez was forced out of the race by teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Before clearing Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sprint.
Marquez was sentenced to a long lap For Sunday’s race, he hindered the chance to win. He managed to fight his way back to P5, finishing eight seconds behind the winner Marco Bezeci.
Will the MotoGP riders fight more against Marc Marquez?
The champion was talking about his battle with Innea Bastianini in Austin.
The Spaniard is not doing well in 2026, with his right shoulder injury from last year clearly still affecting him.
Kevin Schwantz sees Marquez ‘beaten’ by Austin. Even before taking to the track. Sitting 36 points behind Bezeci in the standings, he has a lot of work to do to recover.

Carlos Checa thinks that Marc Marquez is still struggling with his physical condition
Carlos Checa can’t imagine Marquez still suffering from side effects in his shoulder in 2025. Not the start to the season that the reigning champions wanted.
He said, through the verses Motosan: “I think that’s the issue because I’ve never seen Marc here in COTA with bikes below this level, so there’s something wrong. We’ll see, but he’s behind some of his teammates on Ducati.
“So it’s clear that Marc needs to regain his confidence, maybe he needs to work on his limitations, and we’ll see if that’s possible in a short time, because the race is going on and the gap between his rivals is widening.
But today’s run was very high. I think that’s the way back, and he’s very aware of what’s going on and he’s going to have to work hard, and I hope he recovers and gets back on track.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Carlos Checa was surprised by Marco Bezecchi’s thinking
While Marquez has struggled, Bezeci has looked stronger in 2026. In the Spaniard’s absence, the Italian has won the final two races of 2025 and made a perfect start to the year this season.
Cheka was impressed with his thinking: “I think he finished last season very well. I think he was one of the fastest riders, he had a clean winter, injury free, doing well and renewing his contract.”
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“Before the start of the season, this will put you in a place of confidence and stability, it will give you a future mindset and confidence, which will allow you to settle better in the factory and develop a better understanding with the team.
“In the end, it’s all small things, but above all, the most important thing is with the bike, they’ve made small improvements that are making a difference now.
I think Bezecchi’s only goal is to win the championship. He has a very determined mindset, because he knows that this is a great opportunity to fight for the championship, and this does not always happen. When he gets that attention, he dreams of getting that first trophy. “
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