Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has revealed that he banned his Ducati engineers from talking about his physical state ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion’s fitness has been in question ever since he returned to action in pre-season testing.
Marquez suffered a broken collarbone at last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix, and he has found it difficult to make a full recovery. It has since been a big talking point as Aprilia have seemingly entered into dominance territory.
Should Marc Marquez have received a penalty for cutting across the track to pit after crashing in the Jerez Sprint?
However, Marquez’s victory in the Jerez Sprint has identified some vulnerabilities in Noale’s armour, and his mentality shift inside the Ducati box may have aided his resurgence to race-winning form.
- READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia issues verdict on Marc Marquez Jerez incident branded ‘harsh’ by Michael Laverty
Marc Marquez reveals he told his engineers to ‘stop talking about fitness’ ahead of Jerez Sprint win
In his comments to DAZN following his celebrations on the Sprint race podium, Marquez was asked about his renewed title hopes.
The reigning world champion now holds a 24-point deficit to Marco Bezzecchi in the riders’ standings, and he reiterated the fact that Saturday’s Sprint race showed how things can change in a heartbeat.
He said, via Motosan, “It’s a championship where, in just three and a half races, look at everything that’s happened from the first race until now – imagine what it’ll be like over 22 races, well, 18 or 19 with tomorrow’s race still to go.
“I think it’s a very long championship where we’ll all make mistakes because we’re pushing to the limit.”
Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia score Ducati’s first 1-2 of 2026 in the Spanish GP Sprint – But who is your rider of race? 🏆
Both Bezzecchi and his Aprilia counterpart, Jorge Martin, didn’t end up seeing the chequered flag during the Sprint race, which aided his quest to eat into the advantage they currently hold.
Of course, much of the discussion heading into the race weekend at the Circuito de Jerez regarded Marquez’s fitness. In response, the Spaniard told his engineers that he doesn’t want the word mentioned in his box.
He added, “It’s tighter than ever, but well, you have to keep building, and in my garage I had a goal this weekend: to stop talking about fitness now; we know what we’ve got, so we have to make the most of every situation.”
- READ MORE: Ducati’s Marc Marquez admits he ‘no longer’ knows what his 100% is after so many injuries in MotoGP
Marc Marquez says Brad Binder would have been ‘uncatchable’ if he didn’t crash out
The Spaniard also detailed how luck was on his side today, highlighting how fortunate it was for him to suffer his crash at the final corner of the race.
It allowed Marquez to immediately enter the pits to swap onto his wet-weather bike, even if he did it under questionable circumstances.
Brad Binder’s crash was also a stroke of luck for him. The South African was some five seconds ahead of his rivals when he entered the pits, which was instantly vanquished as he fell foul of a wet patch on the circuit.
On the topic, Marquez said, “I was lucky to crash in the last corner, that the bike didn’t stop; from there I took a breather and waited for everyone to pass, because the whole group was coming, and then I was able to get into the pits and change the bike.
“I came out and saw P3, and from there I had the two in front of me in my sights. Binder, if he hadn’t crashed, I think he would have been uncatchable.”
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
