Marco Bezzecchi
Danilo Petrucci is certain that Ducati rider Marc Marquez is not in a “crisis” or he has “given up” amid a tough start to the 2026 season for the reigning MotoGP champion.
Marquez arrives at COTA for this weekend’s Americas Grand Prix just fifth in the 2026 riders’ standings with 34 points from the opening two rounds. Aprilia ace Marco Bezzecchi tops the early standings with 56 points after he won the Thailand Grand Prix and Brazilian Grand Prix.
Ducati racer Marquez would likely be closer to Bezzecchi in the standings were it not for his puncture in the Thailand GP costing him a potential podium finish. Also, Marquez lost P3 in the Brazilian GP to Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 because of the Goiania track breaking up.
But while Di Giannantonio only overtook Marquez in Brazil when the Spaniard ran wide due to the track conditions, questions have been raised about the latter and the ongoing effects of his shoulder injury. Marquez required surgery in October, and it finished his 2025 season.
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Danilo Petrucci believes Marc Marquez has a ‘different approach’ in 2026 due to his shoulder injury
Marquez has also asked Ducati to “wait” and paused their negotiations over a new contract for 2027, as he wants to feel normal with his shoulder again before committing his future in MotoGP. And Petrucci believes Marquez’s shoulder is the reason he seems different in 2026.
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Petrucci feels Marquez is embracing a “different approach” at the start of the 2026 MotoGP season, as the Cervera native knows that he cannot take “too many risks” with his shoulder. He also believes the 33-year-old is looking at the “bigger picture” when it comes to the title.
“He, himself, said he’s not feeling great, but Marquez is Marquez,” Petrucci told MOW. “He was unlucky in Thailand, he still won the Sprint in Brazil, and now Austin, which is literally his home, and Jerez are coming, with the added bonus of the postponement of Qatar, which has never been his favourite track.
“So, I would never underestimate Marquez. In my opinion, he’s managing himself, both physically and mentally, and above all, he doesn’t want to make mistakes.
“He wants to be consistent. He’s aiming for the championship, he looks at the bigger picture, he doesn’t focus on the day-to-day, and he’s aware that a physique like his can no longer afford too many risks.
“He has a different approach, let’s put it that way, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s in crisis or has given up.”
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Marquez has made the Circuit of the Americas his playground throughout his career, with seven MotoGP Grand Prix victories from 11 visits to Austin, Texas. He last won there while still racing with Honda in 2021, however, and has retired from the past two races at COTA.
Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia won the 2025 Americas GP after Marquez crashed in the lead of a race he was otherwise destined to conquer. If Marquez now returns to form this weekend at COTA, it may help to show that he can fight Bezzecchi for the title this season.
Neil Hodgson felt Marquez changed his riding style in Brazil to suit the Ducati GP26, as well, after seeming less comfortable with the bike in Thailand. His shoulder injury has still not yet healed 100%, and Alex Barros thinks Marquez’s shoulder could take six months to heal fully.
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