Ducati in crisis at the season opener: Davide Tardozzi looks for an alibi

Aprilia and Pedro Acosta have upended the pre-season MotoGP predictions. Ducati seemed headed for another dominant year, yet in Sunday’s race in Thailand, none of the riders from the Emilia-based brand managed to reach the podium. For the Borgo Panigale factory, the World Championship has started uphill: Marc Marquez is not yet at peak form and Pecco Bagnaia continues to have the usual issues syncing with the Desmosedici that were also evident in 2025. Or perhaps the Red is no longer the “alpha” bike on the grid?

In the Buriram weekend everything went the wrong way right from qualifying, with the front row claimed by Bezzecchi, Acosta, and Fernandez. At the end of the Sprint, a penalty forced Marc Marquez to drop one position, finishing second. On Sunday, the reigning champion’s rear tire burst after he touched the curb. A situation that did not sit well with Davide Tardozzi, Ducati’s team manager.

The opening MotoGP round brought only bad luck to the Lenovo Ducati team garage. The rear wheel rim opened up following contact with the curb and due to the heat. At that point the tire lost pressure and Marc Marquez had to retire. But it must be said that the Cervera phenomenon was not leading the race when the surreal incident occurred. That means the rivals had put him under serious pressure. “It’s clear the others have done a good job and Bezzecchi is in great form,” Tardozzi told Sky Sport MotoGP. “But I think they’ve been in that form since the middle of last season; let’s remember that before the crash, Marc struggled to beat Bezzecchi in Austria and in other races.”

Marc Marquez is angry about missing this podium, but there is full confidence in the Ducati project. He leaves Thailand with unfinished business, awaiting the next calendar stop in Brazil, March 20–22. “Our duty is to put Ducati riders in a position to fight for the podium. All Ducati riders were affected by the changes that took place from last Sunday to this weekend. Something changed, and that’s why the performance of all the Ducatis suffered,” added Davide Tardozzi. “The other bikes, of course, like Pedro [Acosta]’s KTM, were not affected. There is a track-related element that influenced our bike’s performance; we’ll have to understand it and evaluate it well for the future.”