Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was on the verge of delivering one of the most complete MotoGP seasons of all time before his crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Since then, he has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, which will need him to rest until at least the start of 2026 if he wants to recover from it. It’s almost a nightmare scenario for Ducati.
Not only are they without their superstar rider, but they’ll be without his input at MotoGP’s critical post-season test in Valencia.
If he wanted to participate, Marquez also had to race in the season finale, which was never going to happen. There’s even a chance that he misses the 2026 pre-season test in Sepang.
Marquez didn’t want to ‘crucify’ Marco Bezzecchi for crashing into him, because he felt it was the sort of mistake that he could end up making too.
Despite the time away, Marco Melandri thinks that Marquez’s injury helps him as he’ll be properly rested and ready to defend his title next year.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez is thinking ‘very carefully’ about his Ducati future as MotoGP regulation changes loom
Enea Bastianini thinks that Marc Marquez has ‘masked’ Ducati’s problems with the GP25
Now that he’s been away for four weeks, there have been some developments for the seven-time champion. Marquez doesn’t know when he’ll be back on a bike, but that’s not a bad thing.
Everyone who follows the championship knows his story and how risking further injury would be silly to do, given his record.
After all, Nicolo Bulega isn’t ‘enjoying’ replacing Marquez but has quickly become an important part of their preparations for 2026. His feedback will be vital.
But the man who the 32-year-old replaced at the factory team has now spoken out about his performance. Enea Bastianini actually thinks Marquez’s talent is so great that he has hidden some of Ducati’s issues with the GP25.
“I have the impression,” he told Mowmag. “That the Desmosedici GP25 might be a bit of a difficult bike. At least that’s what it looks like from the outside, judging by the inconsistency of the riders who use it, with the exception of Marc Marquez.
“On the contrary, the 2024 bike, the one I rode last year, was more consistent and effective. I think Marc masked the problems with his talent. I’m convinced, however, that Ducati remains the benchmark, but their advantage has gradually faded.”
READ MORE: Marc Marquez once revealed the main ‘fear’ he had about his MotoGP career before joining Ducati
Why Marc Marquez can afford to take more time to rest before MotoGP comeback
Claudio Domenicali shared ‘good news’ on Marquez’s injury, declaring that he won’t face any lasting effects from his surgery.
That means he should be able to get his body pretty close to 100% before coming back. He’s already achieved what he set out to do with Ducati, so there’s little pressure.
But the reason he can afford to be patient with himself is that he won’t have much involvement in the MotoGP rider market. He’ll probably get to pick exactly where he wants to be.
Therefore, missing the first few races next year doesn’t damn his title defence or his future, even if that scenario feels incredibly unlikely at this stage.
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