Marc Marquez mission impossible: "We're paying too high a price

The start of the 2026 MotoGP season hasn’t been brilliant for Marc Marquez, with bad luck playing its part. In Sunday’s race in Thailand, he didn’t see the checkered flag due to a rear tire puncture, and in Texas he crashed on the first day of practice, compromising the rest of the weekend. The crash in the Sprint, along with the penalty received for Sunday’s race, certainly didn’t help the situation. All that’s left is to wait for Jerez to try to turn the championship around.

A string of negative events has marred the start of the MotoGP championship for the Ducati star. Sure, at the moment the Aprilia RS-GP is performing better than the Desmosedici GP26 of the Marquez brothers, Bagnaia, and Di Giannantonio. But mistakes and unlucky episodes have dealt an additional blow to the #93’s campaign. COTA was supposed to be a redemption track for the Cervera phenomenon; instead, he had to settle for fifth place in the race (a crash in the Sprint, where he also tangled with Diggia).

Starting from the sixth row on the grid complicated Marc Marquez’s weekend. "Starting mid-pack is great for the show, but not for me. I did everything I could. But yes, I learned something during the race and, in a way, fifth place was the best result I could have achieved... We paid a very high price for Saturday’s mistake."

The Ducati GP26 package is not yet fully optimized and the nine-time world champion hasn’t managed to tailor it to himself. Nor has his talent so far been enough to bridge the technical gap to the other Ducatis. "First of all, I lose a lot of time in the opening laps. When the tire is new, I’m not ready to ride the bike. I don’t feel good. And even at Turn 1, on Saturday I made a mistake. I braked and the bike shook, and I got back on the gas because I couldn’t stop."

The feeling on the Red from Borgo Panigale improved in the second half of the race, but it wasn’t enough to aim for the podium. Gigi Dall’Igna and the other engineers are working to give something extra to the 2026 Desmosedici, but the task looks difficult. "I don’t think we’re worse than last year, but the others have improved. So we need to find a way to take a step forward."

Marco Bezzecchi is in blistering form, as shown by five wins in the last five MotoGP Grands Prix. "It’s not just a matter of manufacturer, but also of the riders—I mean Bezzecchi and Martín, but especially Bezzecchi. They’re in great form and that always has consequences,” Marc Marquez points out. “When you feel good with the bike, you give more and then you start riding better and you’re faster. That said, it’s true that right now I’m not helping the bike. I think I can give more."

The physical condition of the Ducati champion is raising some concerns. After the Mandalika injury last autumn, he followed a long rehabilitation plan, arriving at winter testing not yet at one hundred percent. The latest crash in Austin seems to have reawakened certain pains in his arm and shoulder, worrying the Ducati garage quite a bit. Despite the problems on and off the track, Marquez remains calm: "No, well, I’m relaxed. This is MotoGP and you can’t be the best every year. But I’ll work to improve my level." One thing is certain: the 2026 season has started with Aprilia as the team to chase.