Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati have a choice to make ahead of the upcoming 2026 MotoGP season, and it has emerged that they will ‘force’ Marc Marquez to have the decisive vote in a decision he delegated to Francesco Bagnaia.
The Spaniard was utterly dominant during his debut season with the factory Ducati outfit this year, winning 25 races across all formats as he claimed his seventh world title in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
On the other hand, Francesco Bagnaia has struggled massively on the exact same spec of bike. The Italian’s season was summed up by the final seven results of the 2025 MotoGP campaign, where his dominant weekend in Japan was wedged in the middle of six Grand Prix retirements.
The GP25 is the root cause of Bagnaia’s issues, and he has told the Italian constructor what they must fix between now and the first pre-season test in Sepang for him to be able to gel with the next generation of Ducati prototype, the GP26.
READ MORE: How Marc Marquez responded to Valentino Rossi repeatedly getting booed at Valencia
Ducati will ‘force’ Marc Marquez to have the deciding say on which spec of engine the GP26 will run
Speaking on a recent episode of the Dura La Vita podcast, MotoGP expert Ricard Jove highlighted how Marc Marquez has previously said that he will leave the development of the GP26 to the discretion of his younger brother, Alex Marquez, and Ducati counterpart Bagnaia.
However, former premier class mechanic Ramon Forcada disclosed how the Borgo Panigale-based outfit may overrule his decision and force him into having the deciding vote.
He said, “Yes, but they’re going to force him to decide. Why? Because there’s an issue with the frozen engines. This is important, especially for those in Group A, who can’t touch a single screw.
“Of course, there’s a chance that if he and Pecco come to an agreement, they could go back to last year’s engine. It’s allowed by the regulations. But they both have to agree.
“I’m almost sure that if they tell Pecco, ‘We’re going back to the 2024 engine,’ he’d say, ‘Where do I sign?’ Then they’ll go to Marc and say, ‘Hey, do you want this? What are you going to do?'”
Ruben Xaus then asked the pundit why Marquez would allow his main rivals on the grid to have the deciding vote after showing how dominant he can be whilst utilising the 2025 engine.
Forcada answered, “Because if they give the ’25 engine to the others, the ones who will have the official bike, Alex and Diggia, they don’t want them to end up like what happened to Pecco, where the engine malfunctioned. And for Marc, it’s like, ‘I’m winning, but not for Ducati.’”
Alex Marquez is one of the main threats to Marc Marquez’s crown in the 2026 MotoGP season
As alluded to by Xaus’ question, Marc Marquez’s decision to delegate responsibility to his Ducati stablemates is somewhat of a puzzling one, given the fact that both Bagnaia and Alex Marquez could be capable of dethroning him next season.
Neil Hodgson believes Alex is the ‘main threat’ to Marc during the upcoming season due to the impressive level of results he recorded during the 2025 campaign atop the previous spec of bike.
The Gresini man will be receiving a factory Ducati bike for his efforts next year, and it could be the key to the 29-year-old finally getting the better of his world-beating brother.
Marc noted that Alex has room for improvement, indicating that the seven-time world champion is aware of his former teammate’s prowess, which makes the decision all the more puzzling.
Still recovering from the broken collarbone that ruled him out of the final four rounds of the 2025 season, the factory Ducati rider is expected to make a return at the first pre-season test in Sepang.
That will be the site of the first taster to see who can put up a genuine challenge to the Spaniard’s throne for the 2026 MotoGP season.
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