Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez heads into 2026 as MotoGP’s defending world champion for the first time in six years.
He has a chance to pull ahead of Valentino Rossi in the greatest of all time debate, depending on whether Ducati’s GP26 turns out to be a winning machine.
First of all, Marquez has to make sure that he’s fully recovered from his 2025 season-ending crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix, which severely damaged his collarbone.
Only then will he be able to risk making a comeback and stamp his authority over his MotoGP rivals once more.
What should Ducati do to ensure that Marc Marquez signs a new contract?
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Marquez knew he had to leave Honda in 2023 and made the bold call to join a satellite Ducati team in the form of Gresini. He bet on himself.
It turned out to be a successful move, but Marquez found it mentally ‘challenging’ to be facing the same sort of recovery as he did after his shunt at Jerez in 2020, but at the age of 32.
READ MORE: Ducati CEO admits they are facing ‘an issue’ with Marc Marquez’s MotoGP contract renewal
Cal Crutchlow thinks Marc Marquez is a ‘freak’ on a MotoGP bike due to his crazy saves
Honda and Ducati are in a ‘duel’ to sign Marquez for the new regulations in 2027, but it feels most likely that he’ll stick where he is. He has plenty of talent to use still, and wants to be in a winning position.
Appearing in Mat Oxley’s new book – Marc The Magnificent, ex-rival Cal Crutchlow has revealed exactly why he’s such a ‘freak’ on a bike, and how he achieves such crazy feats.
“People have no idea how special Marc is – he’s a freak of nature,” he said. “I’ve never saved a bike at 62 degrees of lean, 15 times a weekend! That doesn’t happen with anyone else.
“He’s this freak that can get these results week in, week out, while riding a bike that’s notoriously the hardest thing to ride. Marc is 100 percent talent, plus he’s got that dogged determination to grit his teeth and get on with it. The Marquez factor is very, very special.”
Marquez being booed at Mugello was a ‘very difficult moment’ for Ducati’s team boss Davide Tardozzi, who had hoped that fans would claim him as one of their own.
Marquez’s 2025 title proved he was not wrong to leave Honda, and he still has the chance to go on and achieve even more. That’s what is more frightening for his competitors.
READ MORE: Ducati coach heard Marc Marquez say something you wouldn’t normally expect from a world champion
Why Marc Marquez faces a completely different challenge in 2026
Now that he has been with Ducati for a year, Marquez knows the majority of what there is to know about the team, his colleagues, and his bike.
That familiarity should help him when he returns from injury, but he’ll be on a bike that he didn’t have too much say on, after missing the post-season in Valencia.
Francesco Bagnaia ‘underestimated’ Marquez and will know what to expect from him in 2026. With a bike that suits him a little more, he will be a serious competitor.
The same goes for everyone else on the grid, who is now aware of what he can achieve, as well as where his weaknesses are in red.
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