Why Marc Marquez is quietly concerned about Ducati’s chances
Even though he hasn’t said much about it publicly, Marc Marquez could have more worries than he’s admitting over how quickly Ducati can catch up to Aprilia after their early struggles.
Ducati have had a rough start to the season, with their factory team still looking for a first Grand Prix podium after four rounds. The only podium finishes for Ducati so far have come from Alex Marquez of Gresini and Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46.
Marquez crashed out of the Spanish GP while running second, having just lost the lead to his brother Alex. It was another missed opportunity to improve on his best finish this year, which came in Brazil where he finished fourth.
The crash also widened Marquez’s gap to championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, leaving him 44 points behind after four rounds. That’s the biggest deficit he has ever faced at this stage of a season.
Marc Marquez could be more ‘worried’ than he’s admitting about Ducati challenging Aprilia
Those seasons also mark the only times he completed a full campaign without winning the title, finishing third behind Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi in 2015, and third again in 2024 while riding a year-old Ducati.
While Marquez had trouble getting comfortable with the front end of the Ducati GP26 early on this year, he sounded positive after Monday’s Jerez test. He said he thinks Ducati can turn things around and still challenge Aprilia for the title.
But according to MOW, despite Marquez appearing ‘super confident’ and making ‘optimistic’ comments, his body language told a different story. They noted that his eyes didn’t match his words and suggested that something might be bothering him.
Whatever it is that might be on his mind isn’t clear. Marquez has said he feels “normal” now and even came into Jerez in the best shape since having shoulder surgery last October – an injury that affected his early-season performances.
What Marc Marquez said about Ducati’s progress after the 2026 Jerez test
CEO Claudio Domenicali has since admitted that Marquez’s injury was “more serious” than Ducati first realised. The incident happened when Marquez was taken out by Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika, sending him through the gravel.
But that wasn’t the only factor. Aprilia’s RS-GP has been just as competitive, if not better, than the Ducati GP26 at most circuits. Bezzecchi started 2026 with three straight wins before Alex Marquez took victory at Jerez.
The Jerez test gave Ducati a chance to address their gap to Aprilia. Both Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia felt positive about the aerodynamic updates, saying they improved front-end stability on the GP26. Despite a slow start to 2026, Marquez insists he’s always believed in Ducati’s potential.
As quoted by MOW, he said: “Ducati are working extremely hard and couldn’t do more. If there are many parts to test, a rider is happy, and I’ve never had any doubts. The potential is there, even if we are struggling more than last year.
“We’ve tried many things, and almost all of us Ducati riders have given similar feedback. My comment was very clear regarding the bike’s reactions. And to understand what I wanted to understand, I tried to ride under 1.37.”
He added: “In any case, we focused on both aerodynamics and the chassis, where we found several solutions. It was an important test to try to rediscover the feeling at the front that we’ve been missing in these first rounds of the MotoGP championship.”
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