Alex Marquez: "Regulations written to make things difficult for Ducati

Vice-champion Alex Marquez will turn 30 to coincide with the Jerez GP, where in 2025 he took his first MotoGP victory. This year the tune is different, with Aprilia in excellent form and winning the first three races. The Gresini rider isn’t losing motivation or faith in Ducati, even though next year he will be in the KTM ranks.

In this early phase of the World Championship, the Desmosedici GP26 is still struggling with some rear-end issues. With the arrival of the European rounds, things could change, even if the RS-GP remains the benchmark bike. Alex Marquez looks to the history of Borgo Panigale to keep expectations high. "They’ve dominated over the last seven or eight years, since around 2018. It was already the leading bike with Dovizioso or Iannone. They’ve always been the ones to pull rabbits out of the hat for years, the ones who ‘can’t improve the bike anymore’ and then created a better bike. That’s why I believe they have the hunger to keep dominating."

The Noale manufacturer has surprised everyone in the MotoGP paddock. Already at the end of the 2025 championship a technical leap forward had been glimpsed. But no one would have imagined a clear overtake of the Ducatis. "Gigi Dall’Igna is the first to get angry; he wants the six Ducatis in the top 6," Alex Marquez explained in an interview with ‘Marca’. Anything can still happen, the balance is shifting, and this month-long break, together with the Jerez test, could reshuffle the deck a bit. "In sport, today you’re up and tomorrow you’re down; you win the first three and then, all of a sudden, you disappear and almost no one remembers if you’re not the leader."

Ducati’s engineers, led by Gigi Dall’Igna, are making changes to the GP26 to give the championship a jolt. With the GP24, Alex seemed to have found a bike tailored to him. With the factory Red, some details need fine-tuning before he can perform at his best. "For my riding, the 24 worked better, but this one has more room for improvement. There’s no reason to panic; the test is very important. Ducati is working hard to give us something, and Aprilia’s superiority won’t last long."

After all, the concessions system was designed to increase the spectacle in MotoGP. "The regulations were written to create greater parity and put a bit more pressure on Ducati after seven years of undisputed dominance. But I believe Ducati has the ability and, above all, the mentality to turn things around."

In recent days, odd rumors have been circulating around the Marquez family. Some suggest that Marc could soon say goodbye to MotoGP due to repeated injuries to his right arm and shoulder. "He’ll do what he wants. He’s the owner of his life," his younger brother asserted. "He’ll know what he wants and what he doesn’t want... I think Marc still has a few years ahead of him."