Neil Hodgson was taken aback to hear Marc Marquez take responsibility for his struggles at the United States Grand Prix, rather than blaming his Ducati bike.
Marquez, who has started from pole eight times in Austin, could only manage sixth on the grid this year. After serving a long-lap penalty for taking out Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sprint, he fought his way to fifth place in the Grand Prix.
Ducati shares behind-the-scenes footage from every race on their YouTube channel through their ‘Inside’ series. In a clip from the post-Austin episode, Marquez admitted he was having a tough time.
Hodgson: ‘So many’ riders would blame the team, but not Marc Marquez
Speaking on the Gas It Out podcast, Hodgson pointed out that Marquez still isn’t ‘100% fit,’ which might be part of the reason he’s holding back from any public criticism of his team.
Marquez is also only second among Ducati riders in the standings, five points behind Di Giannantonio, while last year’s runner-up Alex Marquez is back in eighth. Francesco Bagnaia sits one spot behind him.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Hodgson, who found Marquez’s self-critical approach during a Ducati debrief particularly telling.
“I don’t know if you guys watch the Ducati YouTube channel,” Hodgson said. “Do you know what I found really interesting? Obviously, it’s been edited by Ducati, so they would put this in, but it was a real standout for me, because it’s rare you hear this.
“You’re Marc Marquez,” Hodgson continued. “You come in and you’re having your debrief. All he did was blame himself every time. He said: ‘It’s not the bike’.”
“I know he’s not 100% fit. Bezz was able to pull the bike five metres tighter on exit through that ‘S’ section to really open up that part of the track, and it was so clear to see.
“Marc was not having it, was he? Wow. I’ve stood in so many garages. I know what I used to say as an ex-rider, I’ve listened to my teammates over the years and I’ve listened to loads of riders since I retired, and it’s pretty rare you hear that.”
Marquez has often acknowledged that he isn’t at full strength yet, which might explain some of his struggles this season. But even so, it’s rare to see a rider consistently blame themselves rather than looking for excuses elsewhere.
Unexpected break in the 2026 MotoGP season could save Marc Marquez
The unexpected delay to the start of the season, caused by the Qatar GP postponement, may have worked in Marquez’s favour.
This extra time off not only allows Ducati to analyse where they’re losing ground to Aprilia but also gives them a chance to come up with solutions. By the time the rescheduled race rolls around later in the year, we might see a different order emerge.
More than anything else, though, this break has given Marquez a bit more time to recover. If his shoulder—injured late last year—has been holding him back so far, then every extra week off could be crucial.
On the other hand, Marco Bezzecchi is unlikely to welcome any interruptions right now, given how well things are going for him. But if this layoff helps Marquez get closer to full strength, it could have a real impact on how things play out over the rest of the season.
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