Marco Bezzecchi
Sylvain Guintoli feels Ducati rider Marc Marquez’s body language at the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix suggests he is not the same infallible rider he was amid his dominant 2025.
Marquez was in a different league to the rest of the field after he joined Ducati for the 2025 MotoGP season. The Spaniard learnt through his early mistakes after crashing from the lead of the Americas Grand Prix and while fighting for the lead of the Spanish GP to stretch clear.
The 33-year-old ultimately finished the 2025 campaign with 11 Grand Prix wins and 14 Sprint Race victories over the 18 rounds that he entered. Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title with a record five rounds to spare, but sustained a season-ending injury in Indonesia last October.
Marquez made his return from injury at the 2026 Sepang test, yet he has not seemed at one with the Ducati GP26 at Buriram across the two-day test or in practice at the Thailand Grand Prix. And Guintoli feels Marquez’s body language aboard his bike suggests he is “in trouble”.
Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in practice at the Thailand Grand Prix. Who is your favourite for pole position?
Sylvain Guintoli thinks Marc Marquez is ‘in trouble’ after his issues in practice at the Thailand Grand Prix
Marquez crashed three times during the 2026 Buriram test, which the Cervera native stated at the time was partly due to feeling tired after catching a stomach bug. But Marquez’s woes persisting in practice at the Thailand GP on Friday did not leave Guintoli feeling very assured.
READ MORE: MotoGP practice results as Marco Bezzecchi sets the pace at the Thailand GP
Guintoli said on TNT Sports 2 (27/2, 08:14): “Marc is in trouble. I mean, when have we seen [VR46’s Fabio] Di Giannantonio overtake him? Ok, he was on the medium rear [tyre].
“But Marc does not look like last year. Last year, he was on top of everything. And also the body language is not, you know, [looking great].”
Seven-time MotoGP champion Marquez struggled for speed throughout the majority of the timed pre-qualifying practice session in Buriram on Friday. It even seemed very likely that he would have to go through Q1, but Marquez pulled out a 1:28.947 to snatch P2 at the death.
Sylvain Guintoli wonders if Marc Marquez’s shoulder injury is causing him to ‘struggle’
Ducati rider Marquez struggled for speed throughout the early stages of the timed practice session at the Thailand GP this Friday. His plight was not helped by the lingering rain in the air, and switching onto a new set of tyres midway through the session did not initially help.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s first MotoGP title with Ducati was defined by five moments
Which riders do you think will make it through Q1 in Buriram?
Before Marquez eventually finished the session in second place behind Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia, Guintoli theorised that the Spaniard’s struggles may be linked to his shoulder injury. Marquez needed surgery last October to address a coracoid fracture and ligament damage.
He added (08:37): “The body language on the bike doesn’t look right. It doesn’t look like prime Marc Marquez. He’s clearly struggling with something. Maybe his injury is still not right? He’s had many months to try and get better, but this is a bad injury.
“It takes forever, and it’s an injury that just stays there. You can always feel it for a very long time. Yeah, it’s just not happening for Marc.”
Marquez suffered the injury to his right shoulder in the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix after he was taken out by Aprilia’s Bezzecchi on the first lap in Mandalika. His trip through the gravel trap did more damage to Marquez’s shoulder than his initial incident with Bezzecchi caused.
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