Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo believes the 2026 MotoGP riders’ title will be “a piece of cake” for Marc Marquez after being blown away by what he saw the Ducati ace do at the Sepang test.
The full MotoGP field assembled for the first time in 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit for the first pre-season test this week. It proved to be the latest iteration of the Ducati show, as riders on the Desmosedici GP26 set the fastest lap times and Sprint Race simulation runs.
Gresini racer Alex Marquez left Sepang as the overall pace-setter, after setting a 1:56.402 on the third and final day. The 29-year-old also capped off the opening pre-season test with the best 10-lap Sprint Race simulation, after he set an average lap time of 1:58.027 on Thursday.
Works Ducati star Marc Marquez only managed the fourth-fastest single lap with a 1:56.789, and his Sprint sim average of 1:58.289 was the third-fastest. Teammate Francesco Bagnaia set the second-best Sprint sim average at 1:58.166, but the sixth-best single lap at 1:56.929.
What jumps out from the race simulations? ⏱️
Jorge Lorenzo is ‘surprised’ by Marc Marquez’s Sepang test speed as his shoulder ‘wasn’t fine’
Lorenzo was astounded by the cornering stability of Ducati’s 2026 bike at the Sepang test, as the GP26 was “extremely” smooth at the apex and during acceleration compared to their rivals’ bikes. He was also especially impressed by what Marc Marquez showed on the GP26.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined by five moments
Despite Alex Marquez’s headline lap times, three-time MotoGP champion Lorenzo believes Marc Marquez was the biggest “surprise” in Sepang. Lorenzo now expects Marc will win the 2026 title with ease, as he was rapid in Malaysia despite his shoulder not being fully healed.
Lorenzo told Duralavita: “The three Ducatis – Alex, Pecco and Marc – were very, very evenly matched, and were the only ones in the Sprint simulation to have a good time.
“Three or four laps in the 57s, which are qualifying times for Aprilia, KTM and Honda, 58 low and then they went up to 59 or even two minutes. So, Ducati, the truth is that the bike is a rocket and it seems very easy for the pilots…
“The one who surprised everyone quite a bit was Marc, in truth, because his arm wasn’t fine and on the first day, he beat the second-place finisher by two or three tenths of a second. And Sepang is not one of his preferred circuits, because it’s right-handed.
“So, that was a big surprise. But, of course, Marc is so well-rounded with a bike as powerful as the Ducati. [So], 2026, well, that’s a piece of cake for Marc. And quickly, I suppose.”
Jorge Lorenzo predicts the 2026 MotoGP riders’ title will be “a piece of cake” for Marc Marquez
Alex Marquez tops the final day of the Sepang test! Are you expecting any changes to this order in Buriram? 🤔
Let us know in the comments below!
The Sepang test marked the first time that Marc Marquez got back on a Ducati MotoGP bike since he suffered a coracoid fracture and ligament damage to his right shoulder and needed surgery last October. Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia took him out on Lap 1 in the Indonesian GP.
Marquez missed the final four rounds of the 2025 MotoGP campaign as a result of his injury, which he suffered just one round after wrapping up the riders’ title. Cervera native Marquez won the 2025 title with a record five rounds to spare, as he left Japan with a 201-point lead.
His seventh MotoGP title so far arrived in record style after winning 11 of the 18 Grands Prix that he entered over last season’s 22 rounds. Now, Lorenzo fully expects title number eight to follow for Marquez in 2026, which would see him equal Giacomo Agostini’s 500cc record.
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