Marc Marquez heading to Sepang: his shoulder remains an issue

Marc Marquez’s 2025 MotoGP season was absolutely dominant. The Catalan Ducati rider won 25 of the 44 races held, between sprints and Grands Prix, despite missing eight due to injury. It all starts again with the Sepang test scheduled from February 3 to 5, to immediately find harmony with the Desmosedici and launch an assault on his tenth world title.

The champion’s winter was spent between rehab, training, and medical check-ups. The Mandalika injury and subsequent surgery shaped Marc Marquez’s recent months. The Malaysia test will also serve to assess his real condition ahead of the MotoGP World Championship. The Cervera phenomenon expects to feel “very good” on the first day at Sepang, but then will have to face a “dip.” Inevitable for a healing shoulder, injured after contact with Marco Bezzecchi in the Indonesian GP on October 5, a week after winning the world title.

In recent weeks he trained on the Ducati Panigale in Valencia, where he began to test his right shoulder. Rider #93 also had a fall, fortunately without consequences. “I can ride very well at a normal level for one day, but then on the second day I drop off a lot,” he said at the Ducati team presentation. “I already expect that in Malaysia I’ll feel great on the first day, but Malaysia is a tough test for everyone [physically] and the most complex thing to manage is from the first to the second day.”

Surely the shoulder won’t be a major obstacle for Marc Marquez. But fatigue could throw a wrench in the works during the champion’s first outings. “Even just going to the gym two days in a row, on the second day I can’t give my best. But I think we’re improving in a positive way.” The goal doesn’t change. “If I feel good physically, the speed is there.”

By skipping the Valencia test in November, Marc couldn’t directly follow the evolution of the Ducati GP26. In Malaysia he will restart with the title-winning bike and then move on to the subsequent development begun by Alex Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia. “We’ll start with our 2025 base and from there we’ll introduce the new parts. They told me they have a long list. So we’ll work on the aerodynamics to try to improve cornering and we’ll work on the engine. We can’t change it, but we have several parts [around the engine block] to try to increase top speed a bit.”

The official MotoGP tests will take place in Sepang from February 3 to 5, followed by the Buriram tests on February 21 and 22. A week later Marc Marquez will begin defending the world title, starting with the first Thai Grand Prix. Before that date, the official announcement of his contract renewal with Ducati is expected.