Alex Marquez Fails to Repeat: The Curse of the Right Shoulder

Alex Marquez is having a very different MotoGP season compared to last year. In 2025, the Gresini rider scored three race wins, three Sprint wins and around twenty podiums. Expectations were high that he would continue in the same vein, especially with a factory Ducati, but things have gone differently.

After finishing as runner-up, the 2026 season has proved underwhelming for the younger Marquez brother. With just five rounds of the MotoGP World Championship remaining, he sits eighth in the overall standings on 172 points—less than half the total amassed by his older brother, Marc Marquez. He is 73 points behind Fabio Di Giannantonio of the VR46 team, who rides a Desmosedici very similar to his. And next year, the two will find themselves in the same garage under the KTM banner.

No one thinks Alex Marquez has lost his edge or speed. But his lacklustre performances have been affected by several factors. First and foremost, there was the injury to his right shoulder (just like his brother...) sustained in May after a collision with Pedro Acosta at Montmeló. The injury forced him to miss several races. On his return, he showed he still had the pace to run at the front, even if he has not yet returned to full fitness.

The 2026 MotoGP season got off to a difficult start for Alex Marquez, as the GP26 did not suit his riding style. At the same time, Aprilia’s growing strength relative to Ducati made his problems worse. After the first three overseas rounds, he had scored just 28 points. When the championship arrived in Europe, Gresini and Marquez found the right setup for the bike—and took victory at Jerez.

It looked like the start of a new surge, with another win in the Barcelona Sprint and a battle with Pedro Acosta for victory in the Grand Prix. Then, on the straight, Acosta’s KTM suddenly slowed because of an electrical problem. Marquez had barely enough time to avoid it. He was thrown off the track at high speed and hit the ground with tremendous force, breaking his collarbone.

Alex had to miss the races in Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic before returning to the track at Assen. Since then, he has experienced ups and downs, a far cry from his 2025 form. "I still have some problems with my shoulder," Marquez admitted at Mandalika. "When I came back after the injury, it wasn't too bad... There was one race, then a week off, another race and then another week off. It was relatively easy. But from Misano onwards, I really struggled. Japan was even harder because of the long flight and everything that comes with it."

The physical strain is clear, and he needs to conserve his energy, especially with the next chapter of his MotoGP career with KTM on the horizon. Some of the responsibility also lies with the Desmosedici GP26, as the results of all the Ducati riders show. The gap between Marc Marquez and the other riders on the marque has widened significantly in the second half of the season.

Since the championship resumed at Silverstone, Marc Marquez has scored an impressive 163 points, thanks to three double victories and another Sprint win. Alex Marquez has been Ducati’s second-most successful rider over this period. However, his 85 points amount to only a little more than half his brother’s tally. Still, given the difficulties faced by Di Giannantonio and Bagnaia too, Alex Marquez continues to deliver respectable results. The gap to the leaders remains too large, though, and for now all he can do is cheer on his older brother, who has his sights set on a tenth world title. He, too, is dealing with serious problems in his right shoulder...

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