Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was not afraid to make big changes to his new Ducati GP26 on day two of the 2026 Sepang pre-season test, despite having topped the timesheet on day one.
The 32-year-old finished the first day of the opening pre-season test held at the home of the Malaysian Grand Prix on top after registering a 1:57.018 lap on Tuesday. Marquez was 0.256 seconds clear of the field on day one in Sepang and 0.277s clear of the fastest non-Ducati.
Day one in Sepang even marked the first time that Marquez had ridden a MotoGP bike since October’s Indonesian Grand Prix. The Spaniard required surgery after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury when he was taken out by Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi at Mandalika.
But Marquez was still searching for more performance from his new Ducati GP26 on day two at Sepang, which he only ended as the 15th-fastest rider. The 2025 MotoGP champion only set a 1:58.386 during Wednesday morning’s session, before rain interrupted the afternoon.
Day 2 is now in the books! Are there any surprises in the timings from today? 🤔
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Marc Marquez reverted to using Ducati’s 2024-spec front aero on Day 2 at the Sepang test
Marquez has used the Sepang test as a chance to try Ducati’s latest front aero package. The Borgo Panigale outfit first unveiled their aggressive new aero package during the shakedown test in Sepang last week, with the GP26 carrying a revised fairing, wings and other elements.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined by five moments
Ducati’s latest two-tiered front aero is the most striking, due to its considerably larger wings, internal ducting and revised airbox inlet. Yet Jack Appleyard noted on MotoGP’s Midday Live on day two at the Sepang test that Marquez reverted to using Ducati’s 2024-spec front aero.
Appleyard said: “Marc caught my eye today by going back to the 2024 aero for the first time since the Jerez test, when he then made the switch to the 2025 aero. He was trying the 2026 stuff yesterday.
“The wings are so big, will be creating so much downforce, that he said it altered the balance of the bike so drastically that it’s going to take some time to really work out how to maximise that new aero, because it is so drastic on the front end.
“But the fact that he’s been playing with that, playing with the ‘25 that he’s been used to. And then even more so, going back to the ‘24, that caught my eye because it felt as though Ducati are still, now, nearly two years on, chasing their tail, trying to find a way of improving on the ‘24 bike, which we said throughout the entirety of last year, they weren’t able to do.
“They achieved perfection with the GP24. They tried to improve it, [but] they couldn’t. And even here, they’re still going back to 2024 items to check whether that is still, two years later, the best package they can provide, which is slightly concerning for them.”
What has Marc Marquez said about Ducati’s 2026 aero package at the Sepang test?
Picking up where he left off, is this the start of MotoGP title #8 for Marc Marquez? 🧐
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All four factory-contracted Ducati riders are pleased with their initial feelings on the GP26 at the Sepang test, with many likening the latest iteration of the Desmosedici to the GP24 on which Jorge Martin with Pramac beat works racer Francesco Bagnaia to win the riders’ title.
Marquez believed “everything” was working “quite well” for Ducati on day one in Sepang, as well, after he set the pace. But the Bologna Bullets are still searching for performance ahead of the Buriram test on February 21-22 and the season-opening Thai Grand Prix on March 1.
“Of course, you feel a big change on the aero,” Marquez said about Ducati’s 2026 aero after day one at the Sepang test, via Crash. “It’s true that we need to be super patient with new aerodynamics, because the bike balance changes a lot.
“It’s there where we still need to work. It will be important to decide well, because the fact that the Thai test and Thai GP are super close, we need to be super clever here with all of the things.”
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