Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez will end up missing a considerable amount of time as a result of his Indonesian Grand Prix crash.
So far, the tally is at four races and a critical post-season test, but that’s at the very least. Ducati’s preparations for the 2026 MotoGP season will be impacted as a result.
They’ll be both excited and eager for Marquez to return, but not if it impacts him in the long term. There is no point in risking any further damage to his body by rushing him back sooner than necessary.
It could mean that there is a little bit of a delay in the MotoGP rider market for 2027, but the expected chaos should still unfold.
Marquez doesn’t know when he’ll be back just yet, and there are even fears that he could miss the pre-season test at Sepang next year.
While he’s in recovery, Marquez has earmarked four rivals for title contention, including KTM’s Pedro Acosta, who is starting to find some serious form. He could be a big threat next season.
READ MORE: Kevin Schwantz outlines what has helped Marc Marquez ‘the most’ to win 2025 MotoGP title with Ducati
Marc Marquez didn’t want to ‘crucify’ Marco Bezzecchi for a mistake he could make
Nicolo Bulega isn’t ‘enjoying’ replacing Marquez and is trying to adapt to his bike. It shows what a terrific job he did to dominate the majority of the 2025 campaign.
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali had good news to report on his rider’s situation not long ago, suggesting that Marquez won’t face any ‘lasting effects’ from his injury.
Immediately after his crash with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi happened, he came to his rivals’ defence, telling the media and his fans that it was an honest mistake.
Even now, he stands by that stance, telling Diario AS that he wouldn’t want to ‘crucify’ someone for an action that he could also commit.
“Because I’m 32, I have a lot of experience, and I’ve seen that these things happen in racing,” he said. “Nobody creates a dangerous situation intentionally.
“At 20, I would have seen it differently, but at 32, I’m the most experienced rider in MotoGP, and it doesn’t make sense to crucify a rider who makes a mistake because you could make it the next day.
“You have to grow, and at 32, I’ve already grown. As for the injury, it was unfair because it was a time for celebration, but it also came at the best moment of the season because everything was already decided.”
READ MORE: Marc Marquez has become ‘invincible’ by training with one MotoGP rival, assistant says
Why Marc Marquez can be settled about his MotoGP future
Even though his contract expires at the end of 2026, there isn’t a team on the grid that wouldn’t love to have Marquez riding for them.
Luigi Dall’Igna won’t call Marquez the greatest yet, but even he has been left amazed by some of the things he has achieved on the GP25 this season.
He won’t be short of offers next season, and the most likely scenario is that he opts to re-sign with Ducati, given that they are great at producing a competitive bike.
However, an offer from Honda could be tempting if their current trajectory leads to them contending for victories next season. It would give the seven-time champion something to think about.
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