Marc Marquez is adopting a very different approach to 2025 to fix Ducati’s GP26 stability problems

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Marc Marquez abandoned the approach that saw him dominantly win the 2025 title to help Ducati improve the rear stability of the GP26 at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Borgo Panigale squad endured another sobering weekend to start the 2026 campaign in Goiania, as Aprilia once again led the way. Marco Bezzecchi won the Brazilian GP in a factory Aprilia one-two with Jorge Martin, while three RS-GPs featured among the top five finishers.

VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio and works Ducati ace Marquez were the top finishers using the Desmosedici GP26 on Sunday in P3 and P4. Di Giannantonio punished a rare mistake by Marquez for the final place on the podium by 0.309 seconds, and just 0.549s behind Martin.

Goiania’s track surface breaking up caught Marquez out at Turn 12, which opened a door for Di Giannantonio, as the marbles from the tarmac carried the Spaniard wide. The 33-year-old paid the price for a problem that also forced MotoGP to shorten the race from 31 to 23 laps.

Marc Marquez is making many more changes to his 2026 Ducati than he ever did in 2025

Marquez was not happy with his GP26 in Goiania, as well, as Ducati realised their deficit to Aprilia at the Thailand Grand Prix had not been a ‘fluke’. That is according to MARCA, which claims Ducati now ‘readily admit’ that their GP26 is not as good a bike as the Aprilia RS-GP.

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The rear of the GP26 was especially a cause for concern in Brazil. Ducati ‘repeatedly’ worked on the tail section and rear end to try to improve the stability of the GP26 and make the rear of the bike stay planted, and Marquez even changed his approach from 2025 to fix the bike.

Marquez rarely changed the set-up of his Desmosedici GP25 as he took 11 Grand Prix and 14 Sprint Race wins en route to lifting his seventh riders’ title in 2025. Yet Marquez made ‘many more’ adjustments to his bike in Brazil than he ever did in 2025 to try to fix the GP26.

MARCA also quotes Marquez noting in Goiania: “It’s true that I’m not riding the bike the way I’d like.” The Cervera native qualified third for the Brazilian GP with a 0.081s deficit as VR46’s Di Giannantonio scored pole, before then beating the Italian to win the Sprint by just 0.213s.

Ducati are working on upgrades for the GP26 that they hope to introduce at Jerez, either for the Spanish Grand Prix on April 24-26 or for the in-season test on the Monday following the race. The Bologna Bullets are happy to wait until the test to record a full day’s worth of data.

It remains to be seen what changes Marquez and Ducati can make to the GP26 to make the bike work for the Circuit of the Americas this week. Marquez has won the Americas Grand Prix a record seven times in MotoGP alone, but he has not won in Austin, Texas since 2021.

Neil Hodgson felt Marquez looked more natural on his Ducati in Brazil, as he sensed that he modified his body position to suit the GP26 in Goiania. Part of the reason why Marquez did not look as comfortable in Thailand was his ongoing recovery from surgery on his shoulder.