Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is gearing up to make his MotoGP comeback in the early stages of 2026. It will be critical for him to manage his workload, though.
The Spaniard sustained a severe shoulder injury at last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix after being hit by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. It was a disaster for Ducati.
Title celebrations were cut short, as Marquez flew back to Spain for surgery, and he has faced another gruelling recovery since.
He didn’t even bother trying to make it back for the MotoGP post-season test in Valencia, which is a critical part of preparations for the following campaign.
What would MotoGP have done without Marc Marquez?
Ducati will make a call on Marquez after the GP26 launch, but it’s widely expected that both parties will want to continue together into 2027.
According to team boss Davide Tardozzi, Marquez negotiations will continue ‘soon’, and it’s understandable that they’d want to tie down such a special rider so far in advance of next season.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia explains what it’s like watching Marc Marquez celebrate winning at Ducati
Marc Marquez has ‘no intention’ of taking part in Ducati Portimao test ahead of Sepang return
Marquez has ‘ruled out’ missing pre-season testing in Malaysia, which kicks off on February 3, after having a go on a Ducati bike in Valencia, albeit not a MotoGP one.
As his preparations ramp up, Marquez could have attended a World Superbikes test, conducted by Ducati at Portimao, towards the end of the month.
According to the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, he now has ‘no intention’ of getting onto a bike in Portugal, even though he may be in attendance.
It means that he can focus on being in the best physical shape he can get in, without compromising or putting himself at risk before heading to Malaysia.
Accidents can still happen in training, as Jorge Martin showed multiple times in 2025, while attempting to come back from multiple injuries, but that’s why Marquez is wise to be cautious.
Portimao isn’t exactly renowned for being an easy track either. In fact, there have been some horrible accidents there through the years, which is another thing to be wary of.
READ MORE: Ducati test rider comments on Marc Marquez’s condition after seeing his first laps since injury
Why Marc Marquez needs to be careful about how he approaches his MotoGP return
At the age of 32, Marquez has the potential to win a few more titles before his body gives up on him. That’s if he manages to avoid getting hurt much over the next few seasons.
Since joining Ducati, he cut down his crash rate significantly, and only missed his first races in two years with them because a rival took him out.
There wasn’t much else he could have done himself, but rushing himself to return to on-track action can be dangerous, and he knows it. Irreversible damage could hurt his title chances for years to come.
Marquez knows he must be ‘held back’, otherwise, without being 100% fit, he could create a lot of problems for himself in 2026.
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