Double blow for Marc Marquez: his right arm is not improving

Another lackluster MotoGP weekend for Marc Marquez, who leaves the Austin circuit without being the “sheriff.” A crash in the Sprint, fifth place in the race, with the Aprilias looking unbeatable as they seal a solid one-two with Bezzecchi and Martin. The blow to his right arm made itself felt after Friday’s 192 km/h crash.

Marc Marquez leaves the United States with 5th place in the riders’ standings, with a meager haul of 45 points, already 36 points adrift of leader Marco Bezzecchi. The Cervera champion didn’t look for excuses at the end of the Austin GP; the key mistake was his, and his grid position plus the incidents further complicated things. “Yesterday we got ourselves into trouble, and today we paid a high price for it,” explained the Ducati rider.

At the start of this MotoGP season, #93 is struggling more than usual in the opening phases. With a full tank and fresh tires, the bike becomes much more physically demanding and harder to control. “In MotoGP, when you start mid-pack, you have to be patient, especially in the first laps,” Marquez explained. He’s missing that extra dose of confidence in the first meters. “You need to use more force in the opening laps, and that’s where I can’t manage it. I have to let them go by, and once they’re through, then I get into my rhythm. If you notice, my fastest laps in the race come when the tire starts to wear.”

A question mark remains over his physical condition. Friday’s crash didn’t make Marc Marquez’s weekend any easier, as he’s already dealing with the aftereffects of the Mandalika 2025 injury. “I don’t know if I’m progressing quickly or not; the important thing is to get back to 100%. After an injury, that 100% is always different... Obviously, the blow to the right arm played a role. It’s very swollen, the forearm is injured, and it didn’t help. It’s just a setback. Now we have three weeks to keep improving.”

Then there’s the technical factor. The Ducati GP26 is certainly a step forward compared to last season’s MotoGP bike. But the other manufacturers have made a bigger evolutionary leap than the Desmosedici. Not only Aprilia, but KTM can also give the Borgo Panigale bikes a hard time. “The problems are caused by the other manufacturers,” Marc Marquez emphasized. “We’ve made a small step forward compared to last year. We’re faster on almost every track, but Aprilia has made a step and a half, and that’s where we need to keep working, more united than ever.”

Marc already has his sights on the next race on the calendar. The World Championship moves to Europe, and Jerez seems like the ideal place to try to turn the tide. “Let’s see if we can take a step forward at Jerez and change things. Even if in terms of pure speed we’re not bad, we just lack consistency,” added the 33-year-old Catalan. It’s only the start of the season, and he has no intention of throwing in the towel. “We’ve only raced three GPs; if you write yourself off from the start, you’re in trouble. We have to keep pushing; there are still plenty of points and many races to go.”

The fact is that Marco Bezzecchi has won the last five MotoGP class races, the last two of 2025 and the first three of this year. It will be a long battle, not only from a technical perspective but also physically and psychologically. A challenge that certainly tickles Marc Marquez’s talent. “Bezzecchi is in incredible form, and right now only he can lose. We can only win.”