Marco Bezzecchi
Nico Cereghini believes it is “clear” that Marc Marquez is “suffering” due to his injury, which will make it even harder for him to help Ducati improve their situation in 2026.
Marquez has had a difficult start to the 2026 season as he is still recovering from the surgery he required last October on a coracoid fracture and ligament damage in his right shoulder. A first lap incident with Marco Bezzecchi in Indonesia saw Marquez tumble through the gravel.
The 33-year-old had to miss the final four rounds of the 2025 campaign due to his injury and only got back on a MotoGP bike for the 2026 Sepang pre-season test in February. Marquez is still having to try to adapt himself to the Ducati Desmosedici GP26 owing to his injury, too.
Marquez admits that “it’s me, not the bike” causing the Spaniard to struggle for form so far this year. The Cervera native has yet to score a Grand Prix podium in 2026, and he is fifth in the riders’ standings ahead of the season resuming at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
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Marc Marquez is ‘clearly’ struggling to make the difference on the Ducati GP26
While Marquez won the Sprint Race in Brazil, Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 is even the top Ducati rider in the standings on 50 points ahead of the factory racer on 45. Bezzecchi heads his factory Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin atop the standings with 81 and 71 points thus far.
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The Aprilia RS-GP has emerged as the superior bike over the Ducati GP26, with Trackhouse duo Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura also often able to impress. And Cereghini is confident that the ‘balance’ has now shifted, and that Marquez will also struggle to help Ducati strike back.
“Yes, because the balance has changed,” Cereghini told Fanpage. “Be careful: Ducati remain a very strong organisation, with superior tools – especially in electronics and simulation.
“However, they have lost that sense of ‘total control’ that they had in 2024. Before, the rider could take the bike wherever he wanted. Today, he has to adapt, almost fight with it to get it to do what he wants. And this, in MotoGP, makes all the difference.”
Former 500cc rider Cereghini added on whether Marquez can improve Ducati’s situation: “I don’t think so, or at least not completely. The problem is not just the rider, it’s a technical one. The overall balance is different.
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“That said, it’s clear that he’s not at his best. He’s had another injury, he missed part of his training [and] he’s still suffering. It’s clearly visible on the bike, too. Yet, despite everything, he remains Ducati’s benchmark. This gives a measure of his level.”
Marquez will hope that the break since the United States Grand Prix at the end of March has been sufficient enough for him to improve his fitness ahead of visiting Jerez for this Sunday’s Spanish GP. The post-race test at Jerez will also be crucial for Ducati to improve the GP26.
The Aprilia RS-GP has left a shadow over the Ducati GP26 so far in 2026 as the Noale crew’s package turns much better than the bike that their rivals from Borgo Panigale built. But how much Marquez has truly had to ride within himself due to his injury still remains to be seen.
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