Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati rider Marc Marquez admits that he “can’t make up” for the time he loses over one lap on new Michelin tyres after a tough start to his Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Marquez finished Friday as the fourth-fastest rider around Jerez, but his best lap time during practice was 0.523 seconds off the fastest time set by his younger brother. Gresini ace Alex Marquez topped practice at the Spanish GP with his 1:35.704, compared to Marc’s 1:36.227.
Marc even now claims that Alex has a “better chance” of winning Sunday’s Spanish GP than he does of taking a podium in the main race. The reigning champion is yet to clinch a Grand Prix rostrum in 2026, having retired in Thailand before taking P4 in Brazil and P5 in America.
VR46 racer Fabio Di Giannantonio was also 0.190s faster aboard his Desmosedici GP26 than Marc Marquez in practice, with the Italian penning a 1:36.037 for P2. Only Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia in P6 with a 1:36.265 lap was slower than Marquez of those on the GP26.
Alex Marquez sets a high benchmark in practice at Jerez! Which rider will be joining this lot in Q2 on Saturday?
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Marc Marquez admits ‘I’m struggling’ to deliver on new tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix
Marquez accepts that his brother Alex and VR46’s Di Giannantonio were simply quicker than him during the timed practice session at the Spanish GP. The 33-year-old also notes that his biggest problem was his inability to make up the time that he lost using fresh Michelin tyres.
READ MORE: Every MotoGP record that Marc Marquez can break during the 2026 season
Single lap speed is where Marquez believes he is “struggling the most” at the Spanish GP, on the weekend that he arrived at Jerez feeling confident that he is fully fit for the first time this season. The Spanish GP is thus the first true test of where Marquez sits in the pecking order.
Marquez said, via Motorsport.com: “They’re faster. I’m working in my garage, trying to focus and make the most of what I feel at any given moment.
“We’re gradually getting closer, but it’s true that it’s on the single lap that I’m struggling the most. With used tyres, things level out a bit. But what you lose with new tyres you can’t make up for.”
Marquez has had a difficult start to the season as he was still recovering from the surgery on his shoulder from an injury he suffered last October in Indonesia. He also has a large gash on his right forearm due to his trip through the gravel after crashing during practice in America.
But Marquez utilised the four-week break since the United States Grand Prix to arrive at the Spanish GP feeling the most content he has been in 2026 about his fitness. Yet being fully fit for the first time this year did not result in Marquez climbing to the top of the order at Jerez.
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