Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Melandri believes Marc Marquez is the most ‘complete rider’ but is no longer ‘the fastest’.
During the 2025 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez became the fastest rider in MotoGP once again as he debuted with the factory Ducati squad.
Marquez had been a dominant force in MotoGP between 2013 and 2019, before suffering career-altering injuries during the opening round of the 2020 season at Jerez.
The Spaniard made his return to racing in 2021, but he never reached the same heights as before, as he struggled with further injuries and the poor performance of the Honda.
For the 2024 season, Marquez made the shock decision to switch from Honda to Ducati, as he signed for Gresini, before earning the move to the factory team in 2025.
However, now into his second season with the Italian factory in 2026, Marquez appears to no longer be the fastest rider in MotoGP once again.
Marc Marquez made it look easy with this double overtake, but what was your favourite moment from the Thailand Grand Prix? 🤩
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Marco Melandri believes Marquez is no longer the ‘fastest’
In the past, when Marquez did not have the best bike, the Spaniard was able to make the difference with his own riding, but this appears to no longer be the case, according to Marco Melandri.
When discussing Marquez on Chiacchiere da Box, Melandri stated he does not believe he will be ‘the fastest’ rider this year, but rather the ‘most complete’.
But the Italian went on to say that he believes Marquez’s experience will allow him to be at the sharp end at the Brazilian Grand Prix in the next round of the 2026 season.
Melandri said, “I’ll tell you, in my opinion, Marquez will rarely be the fastest this year, but he is the most complete rider.
“He always manages to optimise his performance and still manages to go fast in qualifying, even though he wasn’t doing well here in qualifying. Then he found the lap behind, I don’t remember who it was, and set a good time, so he always manages to optimise everything.
“So his strength, in my opinion, is being complete and always thinking in terms of the championship. Here he was really unlucky with the destruction of the tyre and rim, but he would have come out of it leading the championship or at least in the points. So I still say he’s the man to beat.
“In Brazil, it’s a new track, and in my opinion, he’ll make the difference because when it comes to adapting to new situations, he’s incredibly fast, but I don’t expect him to be as fast as the others as he was last year. That’s for sure.”
Will Pedro Acosta reach the same heights in MotoGP as Marc Marquez?
Marc Marquez penalised at the end of the Thai Sprint Race
At the Thailand Grand Prix, Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta were locked in a duel during the Sprint Race at the opening round of the 2026 season.
It was on the penultimate lap of the Sprint Race when Marquez attacked Acosta and pushed the younger Spaniard off the track, which saw Marquez receive a penalty on the final lap.
The penalty was a controversial topic after the opening Sprint of the year, with many fans left in disbelief that Marquez had been penalised for what many believed was a legal move.
However, despite fan outrage at the penalty being awarded for what many believed was a fair move, Neil Hodgson did not believe the pass was on and backed the penalty decision.
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