Despite months of rehab, Kevin Schwantz still sees a struggling Marc Marquez. The shoulder injury suffered last year is still clearly taking its toll.
The incident with Marco Bezzecchi in Mandalika ended his 2025 season early. Even with a dedicated recovery over the winter, the effects were evident as he returned to action in Buriram.
In Thailand, Marquez needed help just to get his gloves on before retiring due to a rear rim failure. In Brazil, he did take the Sprint win but missed the main podium, finishing behind the Aprilias and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
It’s been nearly six months since that crash in Mandalika, but Carlo Pernat believes there’s still a ‘fear’ in Marquez’s eyes. And given how his season has started, that shoulder injury may have been more serious than first thought.
Kevin Schwantz noticed Marc Marquez was still feeling the effects of his injury ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix
Marquez, who has always been strong at COTA, couldn’t manage to put his GP26 on pole or even secure a spot on the front row.
He’ll start from P6, behind teammate Francesco Bagnaia. While traffic in Q2 didn’t help matters, Schwantz believes there’s more to it than just track position issues.
Speaking to Inside The Paddock after qualifying, Schwantz shared an observation from earlier in the week during a photoshoot where Marquez appeared to be struggling.
“I happened to be here on Thursday and they were doing a photoshoot out front. Marquez was out there and I think they were Alpinestars stuff,” said Schwantz.
“And watching him, T-shirt on and off, he didn’t seem like he was… here, ‘help me, I’m hurt’. Looked like he was putting his arms over his head.
“Maybe that crash banged him up just a little bit, but he’s a racer. Come race time, better get ready. I think he’ll surprise us.”
Marc Marquez is still battling to adapt to the Ducati GP26
It’s not just the physical setbacks that are holding Marquez back. He still doesn’t have the same connection with the GP26 that he did with its predecessor.
He openly criticised the bike after Goiania, calling it a “disaster,” and hasn’t found any comfort on it yet. It’s a stark contrast to last year, when he won 25 races on the GP25, including Sprints, feeling completely at ease with how it responded.
Test rider Michele Pirro has also weighed in, saying Marquez seems ‘afraid’ of how the bike handles. The Michelin hard rear tyre appears to be wearing out the front too quickly for his liking, which is stopping him from pushing as hard as he needs to early in races. That’s already proving costly this season.
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