Davide Tardozzi was right about Marc Marquez all along after criticising unacceptable habit before Ducati move

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Marc Marquez sits second in the world championship heading into the French Grand Prix – somehow. 2025 has had the air of a dominant season, but crashes have cost the six-time MotoGP champion.

Marquez relinquished the title lead to his younger brother Alex after going down from the lead in Austin. Having regained it with his clean sweep in Qatar, he faltered again in Jerez.

After a fierce battle with Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia at the start of the race, Marquez was in a strong position as the race settled. Shock polesitter Fabio Quartararo still led, but based on the Sprint, he simply had too much speed for the Yamaha.

However, Marquez lost the front at turn eight and slid into the gravel trap. By the time he remounted, he’d fallen to the back of the field.

From there, he produced a commendable recovery ride for P12, but his sibling edged a point ahead in the standings after his maiden victory.

Marc Marquez is still trying ‘to do more than the bike allows’ at Ducati

Speaking to AS in 2023, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi criticised then-Honda rider Marquez. The Spaniard missed three races at the start of that season after injuring his hand in a clash with Miguel Oliveira in Portugal.

He later withdrew from the German GP after crashing repeatedly in the lead-up to the race. Having aggravated a rib injury, he didn’t take part in the Dutch TT either.

Marquez was able to see out the year without any more major incidents, but his record included six retirements and five absences. Tardozzi accused him of asking too much from his bike.

He couldn’t ‘accept’ the argument that he was simply pushing flat-out. This proved to be Marquez’s final year on a Honda as he negotiated a move to Gresini for 2024.

“He tries to do more than the bike allows,” Tardozzi said at the time. “For me, he shouldn’t crash and he should make it to the pits with the bike on. I don’t accept what he says, that he tries and crashes. What does he gain from that?

Marc Marquez rival just explained why his Spanish Grand Prix comeback ride was so impressive

Marquez and Tardozzi discussed the criticism in private, but two years on, it looks as if the Italian was absolutely right. The Ant of Cervera can’t shake the crash-prone tag even on a dominant motorcycle.

He’s already left nearly 50 points on the table with unforced errors. This looks like the only thing that can stop him from winning the world championship.

Marquez has been told to follow Stirling Moss’ advice – to finish first, first you must finish. But that would be against the instincts he’s honed for nearly 200 races.

Honda rider Luca Marini was stunned by the damage to Marquez’s bike when he saw a photo after the race. He salvaged a points finish despite losing 5kph of speed with a hole in the side of his bike.