Marc Márquez’s physical problems: what the race times say

Improperly, without any objective evidence to support far-fetched theses and baseless rumors, and moreover with no respect for the person directly concerned (when it comes to health, you don’t joke), after the Austin Grand Prix all sorts of things were said and written about Marc Marquez. How much is he still suffering from the injury sustained last October in Mandalika, a consequence of the contact caused by Marco Bezzecchi in the race? Is there a way out? Will he find his best physical condition from here on out? The performance in the races contested so far highlights what the 9-time World Champion is still missing.

The big headlines have always been about those who lose, not those who win. Marc Marquez, who has collected just one Sprint win in this early part of the season (OK, with the Stewards Panel’s blessing, actually 2), makes news. At a time when one could delve into and celebrate the feats of Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia, in the end it’s always about the 93. He doesn’t win anymore, he’ll never win again, and so on. Headlines more from fanbases than from an analysis of the facts. Not new in this field, but when issues tied to health are dragged in, it’s necessary to point the finger at a modus operandi that damages the image and storytelling of motorcycling itself. Even more so when theories are invented about post-operative complications (not true), that he will soon need another operation (false: if it were true, upon returning from Austin, given the month-long break, he wouldn’t have wasted time), that the injured arm will never give him peace again.

That physically he isn’t the Marc Marquez of 2019—let alone the one of 2025—is stated by the man himself. “The problem is me, not the bike,” a declaration to be etched in stone. Although, in the end, the 9-time World Champion doesn’t even seem to be a… problem. On the contrary. Analyzing the performance across the first three Grands Prix of 2026, it’s clear he isn’t the dominant Marquez of last year. Even though, from one season to the next, comparisons shouldn’t be made: each championship is a story unto itself, with different pecking orders and forces at play (see an overpowering Aprilia). Marquez doesn’t suffer in the Sprints. He pays the price in the early phases of the “long races.”

A trend that links Buriram and Austin via Goiania. In the first part of the race, with a full tank, he doesn’t make the impact he should. His rivals, meanwhile, maximize this situation. At COTA, after serving the Long Lap Penalty (and also losing time at the start due to his own mistake), he performed with lap times in line with those of Marco Bezzecchi. Just a touch slower than Ai Ogura (a rocket before retiring due to a technical problem), with every credential to aim for the podium. A result which, these days and against this Aprilia, would be anything but bad. A similar story in Buriram before that unfortunate retirement: the most consistent pace among Bezzecchi’s pursuers was precisely that of the Ducati rider.

With the “sprint tank” and 10 kg less fuel, Marc Marquez has so far always shown Top-3 pace. The physical issue, more related to the condition and strength of the arm (nothing trains and prepares you like a MotoGP bike), will progressively improve, potentially already for Jerez de la Frontera. With a month’s break and timelines in line for a full recovery. In fact, for Marquez and Ducati, the scales are tipping in these first three rounds more because of Aprilia’s extraordinary competitiveness than the condition of the injured arm.

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