Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez had a tough weekend at COTA as he finished off the podium for the third Grand Prix in a row in 2026.
The United States Grand Prix is usually a great hunting ground for the Ducati rider, but he struggled to compete at the front. Marquez was outqualified by teammate Francesco Bagnaia before wiping out Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Sprint.
Marquez was handed a long lap penalty for the race on Sunday, hampering any chance of him winning. He managed to fight his way back to P5, finishing eight seconds behind the winner, Marco Bezzecchi.
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The Spaniard has not been performing at his best in 2026, with his right shoulder injury still clearly affecting him from last year.
Kevin Schwantz saw Marquez ‘banged up’ in Austin even before he took to the track. Sitting 36 points behind Bezzecchi in the standings, he has a lot of work to do to recover.
Carlos Checa thinks Marc Marquez is still struggling with his physical condition
Carlos Checa could not help but think Marquez is still suffering from the side effects of his shoulder injury in 2025. It is not the start to the season that the defending champion would have wanted.
He said, via quotes from Motosan: “I think that’s the issue, because I’ve never seen Marc here at COTA with bikes below this level, so something’s wrong. We’ll see, but he’s even behind some of his teammates on the Ducati.
“So it’s clear that Marc needs to regain his confidence; he needs to work on the limitations he probably has, and we’ll see if that’s possible in the short term, because the races keep going by and the gap to his rivals keeps widening.
“But I really value the race he had today; I think this is the way to come back, and I think he knows very well what’s happening and he’ll have to work hard, and hopefully he can recover and get back to his level.”
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Carlos Checa impressed by Marco Bezzecchi’s mindset
While Marquez has struggled, Bezzecchi has looked even stronger in 2026. In the Spaniard’s absence, the Italian won the last two races of 2025 and has carried that form into this season with a perfect start to the year.
Checa has been left impressed by his mindset: “I think he finished last season in very good form. I think he was one of the fastest riders. He had a clean winter, without injuries, working well, and renewing his contract.
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“Before the season starts, this gives you a mindset and confidence for the future that puts you in a position of confidence and tranquillity, allowing you to settle in much better at the factory and develop a much better understanding with the team.
“In the end, it’s all small things, but above all, the most important thing is that he’s very well in sync with the bike. They’ve made small improvements that are now making the difference.
“I think Bezzecchi’s only remaining objective is to win the championship. He has a very determined mindset because he knows this is a great opportunity to fight for the title, and that doesn’t always happen. I see him with that focus, aiming to achieve that first title.”
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