Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati were exposed at the opening round of the 2026 season after they failed to finish inside the top five.
The opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season was a success for Aprilia, but for Ducati it revealed where they truly stand.
For the last four years, Ducati have dominated the MotoGP Championship as they have won the title with three different riders. However, the Thailand Grand Prix has demonstrated that they may have fallen back in the pecking order as their 88 Grand Prix run of securing podiums came to an end.
It was even worse for the Italian manufacturer, as none of their six riders represented them inside the top five in the Grand Prix as Fabio di Giannantonio was the top rider in sixth place.
A changing of the guard or just a blip to start the season? 🤔
Let us know in the comments below!
Ducati are not going to ‘panic’ about their gap to Aprilia
After the opening round of the season, Luigi Dall’Igna took to his own LinkedIn page to discuss the Thai Grand Prix from his perspective.
The Italian discussed the difficulties that Ducati faced at the Chang International Circuit, including the manufacturer missing out on the podium for the first time in 88 Grands Prix.
Dall’Igna has not ruled out a Championship challenge for Ducati in 2026, as he believes we will see where they stand in the next few rounds.
Dall’Igna said, “This world championship is shaping up to be both demanding and exhilarating, with expectations already high as we look forward to the upcoming challenges.
“First and foremost, congratulations to our opponents that have asserted themselves with full merit. Their competitiveness is not surprising; we witnessed it particularly during last season’s closing stages and even more so during pre-season testing. The statistics highlight that we didn’t make the podium after 88 consecutive races, and for the first time in 102 GPs our brand is missing from the top five. This indicates that we must close the gap quickly, but we realise this without causing ourselves any panic.
“It is a natural cycle, a drop in performance can happen, especially after such a long period of sustained successes. Our efforts now are aimed at analysing the data and at introducing set-up refinements in the coming races, ensuring that our riders can be more competitive. There is certainly work to be done, yet we are well aware that this was only the first race of the season. The calendar is long and features diverse tracks; we will only have a true sense of our standing against the competition after the next few rounds.
“In short, today was a GP we knew we had to manage with smartness. Marc was doing exactly that, putting all his mind and heart into it. However, he was truly unlucky: firstly in the Sprint Race, where a questionable decision by FMI MotoGP Stewards cost him the win, and then in the GP itself where, despite some difficulties, a podium was well within reach before he was forced to retire.”
Was Marc Marquez’s dig at Pedro Acosta really necessary?
Acosta told reporters in Thailand that 'it wasn't a one-day [championship] lead like Marc said'.
Ducati are paying the price for signing Marc Marquez
When Marc Marquez arrived at Ducati in 2025 he was the dominant force in MotoGP and won the title for them in his first season.
However, Carlo Pernat believes Ducati are now starting to ‘pay the price’ for signing Marquez as he has impacted the morale within the garage of the Italian manufacturer.
Pernat said, “Ducati is paying the price of Marquez’s arrival, which has destroyed Bagnaia a bit psychologically; it has changed him. Bagnaia is not there, Ducati has only one rider, who is Marquez.”
Marquez had a difficult season opener in Thailand as he lost out on victory in the Sprint Race due to a penalty, and then failed to finish the Grand Prix after suffering a puncture to his rear tyre.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
