Marco Bezzecchi
Stefan Bradl is not concerned that Ducati ace Marc Marquez crashed three times over MotoGP’s two-day Buriram test as it shows he is still trying to find “the limit” in 2026.
The 33-year-old got off to a tricky start at the home of the Thai Grand Prix on Saturday after falling twice. Marquez blamed a “lack of concentration” for his crashes in Buriram, which did not stop on Saturday as the Spaniard even fell and ruined his long-run simulation on Sunday.
Marquez only managed a six-lap run on the Ducati GP26 before hitting the deck for the third time across the two days in Thailand. He fell at Turn 4 and called time on the test, having felt tired after catching a stomach bug prior to the test rather than due to his return from injury.
Surgery on his collarbone sidelined Marquez over the final four rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season. He required an operation to address a coracoid fracture and ligament damage to his right shoulder after he was taken out of the Indonesian GP by Aprilia racer Marco Bezzecchi.
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Marc Marquez will be ‘very dangerous’ in 2026 as his Buriram test crashes show he is finding the limit
Marquez’s shoulder injury and the potential long-lasting effects played on his mind over the winter while he was negotiating a new contract with Ducati. It has emerged that Marquez is pushing for a one-year contract against Ducati’s two years ahead of his current deal lapsing.
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But even with the effects of the stomach bug and concerns about his shoulder injury in the back of his mind, Marquez could not turn off his “instinct” to go fast at the Buriram test. So, Bradl believes the crashes are a positive, as they show Marquez is still looking for the limits.
Bradl told ServusTV: “He crashed a total of three times during the Thailand tests. But that’s typical Marc Marquez, because he’s always searching for the limit.
“And once he’s found it, feels the limits again, then he knows how to assess them, and can manage them throughout the race weekend. That makes him very dangerous again.”
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Bradl is also confident that Marquez will win the MotoGP rider’s title for a record-equalling eighth time in 2026, as the Ducati star is simply too strong for any other pilot on the grid to handle. Marquez would match Giacomo Agostini’s eight 500cc titles for the all-time record.
He added: “Marc Marquez will defend his title again because he’s simply the most intelligent and the best in race management.”
Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title with a record five rounds to spare after dominating the field on the back of joining the factory Ducati team last year. He even adapted his racecraft last year to dominate, having accepted early on that pushing from the start led him to crash.
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