Marc Marquez, according to Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, is holding back more in Grands Prix than he is in Sprints, and that’s down to doubts about Michelin’s new tyres for 2026.
So far this year, Marquez has looked stronger over shorter distances. He took second in the Buriram Sprint and followed it up with a win in Goiania. There’s a good chance he could have taken the win in Thailand, too, if it hadn’t been for a penalty late on.
Race control ordered Marquez to drop a position on the final lap in the Buriram Sprint, after he forced his way past KTM rival Pedro Acosta for the lead. The podium was his target in the Thailand Grand Prix, but he retired with a puncture after damaging the wheel rim on a kerb.
Track conditions cost Marquez P3 in the Brazilian Grand Prix last week, as he ran wide on the loose tarmac and opened the door for Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46. But Marquez won the Sprint Race in Brazil after overtaking Di Giannantonio to claim his first victory of the season.
Michele Pirro says Marc Marquez is ‘afraid’ that the hard Michelin rear tyre causes excessive front tyre wear
Pirro thinks Ducati’s struggles in Thailand and Brazil came down to their ongoing challenges with Michelin’s harder rear tyre. The heat-treated carcass supplied for both rounds didn’t suit Marquez, according to Pirro, who doesn’t believe the rider felt confident pushing on it.
With Sprints being shorter, there’s less need for strict tyre management. But in full-length races, Pirro feels that Marquez holds back out of concern over excessive front-tyre wear. He also isn’t expecting much to change ahead of the American Grand Prix.
Pirro told Moto.it: “We’re a bit, let’s say, less competitive at the moment with the hard tyre at the rear. Whereas when he knows he can push, maybe in the Sprints where the race is shorter, well, he’s more competitive.
“Because with the rear tyre, in the end, you end up putting the front tyre under strain too, so he was afraid on Sunday about wearing out the front tyre.
“Then the race was shortened, so there are lots of factors to take into account. Let’s wait and see what we can get out of Austin.”
COTA can be tough on tyres so Michelin has responded by providing symmetric soft and medium compounds for both fronts and rears. The rears have reinforced right sides to help them hold up under pressure around COTA.
Marquez may benefit from Michelin not bringing hard options this time around. The circuit suits him historically as well – he’s a seven-time winner at COTA but hasn’t taken victory there since 2021.
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