Kevin Schwantz tells Ducati why Francesco Bagnaia will ‘really cost you’ after Marc Marquez’s injury

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Kevin Schwantz has rung the alarm bell for Ducati ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season after Marc Marquez sat out the end of 2025 following surgery for his shoulder injury.

The 32-year-old crashed back down to earth from the highs of celebrating his seventh title in Japan to tumbling through the gravel in Indonesia. Marquez sat out the final four rounds of 2025, plus the post-season test in Valencia as the Ducati Desmosedici GP26 hit the circuit.

Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title with five rounds to spare, having dominated during his first campaign with the factory Ducati team. He won 11 Grands Prix, scored 15 podiums and took eight pole positions, whilst winning 14 Sprint Races, from the 18/22 rounds he entered.

What the Spaniard showed on the Ducati GP25 left teammate Francesco Bagnaia in his wake throughout the season. Bagnaia only came fifth in the 2025 riders’ standings with 288 points against Marquez’s 545. He also won two Grands Prix and made eight podiums in 22 rounds.

Kevin Schwantz fears Marc Marquez’s injury will ‘really cost’ Ducati in developing their 2026 bike

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi felt Bagnaia “found his way again” during the Valencia test, as the 28-year-old got to grips with the Borgo Panigale crew’s latest aero package. But Schwantz is not certain that Bagnaia knows how he wants Ducati to develop their 2026 bike.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined by five moments

So, 1993 500cc champion Schwantz fears Marquez’s season-ending shoulder injury will now “really cost” Ducati, as he cannot guide the development of the GP26. Marquez required an operation in October to mend a coracoid fracture and ligament damage in his right shoulder.

He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Upper body [injuries] are really difficult. You have to be strong to be able to finesse these motorcycles around. It’s going to take some time for him to get fit. It’s going to take some time for him to get back on the bike and get back up to speed.

“I read that Gigi Dall’Igna thinks it’s going to delay their testing. Bagnaia’s still a little bit uncertain in the direction that he wants to go. So, yeah, an injury like that, so simple as it might be, can sometimes really, really cost you in terms of testing and bike development.”

Ducati will hope Alex Marquez can help Francesco Bagnaia to develop their GP26 bike

Schwantz is not alone in voicing his fears for Ducati since the Valencia test, where the task of trialling the GP26 fell on Bagnaia, 2026 test rider Nicolo Bulega, Alex Marquez of Gresini and Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46. Marc will not sample the GP26 until February’s Sepang test.

Carlo Pernat saw “concern” on the faces of Ducati’s mechanics at the Valencia test, and now expects Aprilia will give the Bologna Bullets a real fight next year. But MotoGP may now ban Aprilia’s leg wings on safety grounds, which might interrupt the Noale outfit’s development.

Aprilia finished the 2025 season with arguably the best bike in MotoGP, as the RS-GP25 won three of the final four Grands Prix. Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez secured his maiden win in Australia, before factory Aprilia pilot Marco Bezzecchi then won in Portugal and Valencia.