Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez had a painful weekend in Austin as crashes and collisions left him struggling to keep up with the frontrunners.
COTA is one of the Spaniard’s strongest tracks, yet in 2026, he could not find optimal performance. Marquez crashed heavily in practice and required a bandage on his right forearm.
He would go on to top that session, but it would not get better from there, as he qualified P6. Marquez was outqualified by Francesco Bagnaia, and in the Sprint, his race was over on the first lap.
Do MotoGP riders battle harder when they’re up against Marc Marquez?
The champ was talking about his battle with Enea Bastianini in Austin
Marquez wiped out Fabio Di Giannantonio at turn 12 and received a long lap penalty for the collision, which he accepted. This limited his chances of a top result even more, with the 33-year-old still struggling with his shoulder injury from 2025.
Kevin Schwantz saw Marquez was still ‘banged up’ at the United States Grand Prix, and Marquez would admit that himself in the Ducati garage after Sunday’s race.
Marc Marquez told Davide Tardozzi ‘I’m struggling’ after United States GP
After taking the long lap penalty, Marquez managed to salvage P5, following a strong battle with Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini. In the post-race debrief, he admitted his struggles to Davide Tardozzi.
Ducati’s official YouTube channel detailed the exchange between the two, with Tardozzi saying: “From when you overtook Fermin to when you arrived to Pecco and Enea, you gained eight tenths on Bezzecchi.”
Marquez then gave his assessment: “Yes, I was going fast there, I felt really good. In the end, too, I could have continued like this with this pace.
“If I didn’t waste time there, by overtaking Pecco and Enea, I could have caught Diggia. The bike is critical, but so am I. I’m struggling.
“The bike is definitely one point, but I’m another point. Because I rewatched the races of Thailand and Brazil, if I get the first three laps right, we’re in for the win.”
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What is going wrong for Marc Marquez in 2026?
Marquez has taken responsibility for his difficult start to the 2026 season. He is yet to score a Grand Prix podium, currently sitting fifth in the standings.
The Spaniard is not comfortable on the GP26, as he cannot ride it the same way as he did the GP25 last year. But Marquez is insisting that the issue is more with him than the bike.
When will be the first race that Marc Marquez beats Marco Bezzecchi?
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With MotoGP now on a break until the next round at Jerez at the end of April, Marquez and Ducati have time to assess their issues and get back on track.
Jorge Martin says Marquez will return to normal at Jerez, but the Ducati rider will have his work cut out. His countryman and Marco Bezzecchi are taking Aprilia to new heights in 2026, with the latter winning the opening three races.
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