Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez was second fastest on the opening day of the Thailand Grand Prix weekend, but it seems the injury he suffered last autumn may still be bothering him.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi set a lap record in the competitive practice session, with Marquez four-tenths back. Safe passage to Q2 is all that matters at this stage, of course.
However, Sylvain Guintoli thinks Marquez is ‘in trouble’ after seeing his body language in the Ducati garage.
Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in practice at the Thailand Grand Prix. Who is your favourite for pole position?
Marquez missed the final four rounds of the 2025 season after tangling with Bezzecchi at the Indonesian GP. He returned for pre-season testing but crashed three times last weekend in Buriram, which he attributed to a stomach bug.
Marc Marquez’s condition may be ‘more of a concern than he’s letting on’
Marquez broke a bone attached to his right shoulder blade and damaged ligaments in the Mandalika crash, which ultimately led to him having surgery.
During Friday’s FP1 session, Marquez needed Jose Luis Martinez, his assistant, to put his right glove on, which suggests that he is experiencing fresh discomfort.
“You can see his long-time assistant just helping Marc Marquez putting on that right-hand glove,” Jack Appleyard said on the world feed.
“We didn’t see that throughout pre-season, but maybe as Davide Tardozzi hinted, that physical condition of his is a bit more of a concern than he’s letting on.”
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Tardozzi acknowledged that Marquez had had ‘a lot of problems’ with his shoulder but still sounds confident that he can compete for victory this weekend.
“What happened at the end of last year, the accident in Indonesia, for sure, it gave him a lot of problems,” the Ducati team manager said.
“His stomach problem over the last couple of days is not something that helps. In the end, Marc will be there. We’ll see. He’s the kind of guy that always surprises.”
Marc Marquez’s injury is influencing his set-up choices
Marquez has opted for the 2024 Ducati aero package this weekend, like the rest of the riders. Speaking on Thursday, he said his injury was a factor in this decision.
While the Spaniard was dominant on the GP25, last year’s aero made the bike ‘heavier’. At this stage, that setup is too ‘demanding’ for the 33-year-old.
He said, via Crash: “The 2025 aerodynamics were a little bit more heavy for the bike, more demanding for the physical condition. And then I’m just trying to adapt my riding style to what I have now in my physical condition.”
Marquez is the most successful rider at the Thailand Grand Prix with three wins, most recently beating brother Alex in last year’s season-opener.
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