Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Marquez admits that Marc Marquez has made “more mistakes” than he wants so far in 2026, but he is being “smart” to manage the points he loses to Marco Bezzecchi.
Ducati star Marc Marquez has endured a difficult start to the 2026 MotoGP season while he continues to recover from the surgery from last October on his shoulder injury. The 33-year-old has yet to win a Grand Prix, and trails Aprilia’s Bezzecchi atop the standings by 36 points.
Also, while Marquez won the Sprint in Brazil, he remains without a Grand Prix podium after the first three rounds. The seven-time premier class champion retired in Thailand, finished fourth in Brazil and came fifth in the United States after recovering from a long lap penalty.
Marquez suffered a race-ending puncture in Thailand after damaging his rear tyre rim on a kerb when he ran wide while in the fight for the final step on the podium. VR46 rival Fabio Di Giannantonio even snatched P3 in the Brazilian Grand Prix when Marquez ran out wide.
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Alex Marquez thinks Marc Marquez is ‘smart’ to manage his results, despite his ‘mistakes’
Goiania’s track breaking up forced Marquez wide and handed P3 to Di Giannantonio, but the Cervera native only had himself to blame for his difficulties in Texas. Marquez merited a long lap penalty for the United States GP after he took Di Giannantonio out in the Sprint at COTA.
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Also, KTM rival Pedro Acosta won the Sprint in Thailand after Marquez’s penalty for forcing his Spanish compatriot out wide when he claimed the lead on the penultimate lap. So, Alex Marquez admits that his brother Marc is making “more mistakes” than he would really like.
But as the season is only three rounds through, Alex adds that he thinks Marc has still been “smart” to manage his results so as not to lose too much ground to Bezzecchi. One perfect weekend by the Ducati star could remove the majority of the Aprilia ace’s early advantage.
Alex Marquez said, via quotes by AS: “I have enough on my plate without having to tell you what Marc needs. I think he’s being smart, he’s managing those points he might miss at the end of the year very well.
“He’s made more mistakes than he would have liked. But when you’re struggling, the important thing is not to miss the boat.
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“Fifty points at this stage, with 37 up for grabs each weekend, isn’t that much. In the end, when another Ducati beats you, it means there’s room for improvement, and that’s where I’m self-critical about what I can improve.”
Marc Marquez’s season would look a lot better had he finished the Thailand Grand Prix in P4, where he was running before retiring with a puncture, for the 13 points it would have offered. But Bezzecchi has also made a few mistakes this season that have cost him points.
The difference between Bezzecchi and Marquez is that the Italian’s errors have come in the Sprint Races when the points on offer are worth less. Bezzecchi crashed while in the lead of the Sprint in Thailand, and he crashed during the COTA Sprint while chasing down the lead.
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