Pedro Acosta shares his theory about Marc Marquez’s ‘not normal’ slump at Ducati

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Marc Marquez may be suffering from an enforced riding style change at Ducati, KTM rider Pedro Acosta says.

For the first time in his MotoGP career (when active), Marquez has failed to score a podium in the first four rounds. He crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, leaving him 44 points off the championship lead.

Marquez has won two Sprint races this year, including a vintage wet-weather triumph at Jerez, but the reigning world champion continues to look out-of-sorts in dry conditions.

Marc Marquez has never come back from a deficit larger than 37 points

With the gap to Marco Bezzecchi now 44, are his title hopes over?

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Pedro Acosta says Marc Marquez can’t ride naturally

Acosta, who’s expected to join the Ducati factory team in 2027, was asked about Marquez’s slump after the race.

He suspects that Marquez has been forced to ‘ride differently’ this year, which means he can no longer operate on instinct.

The 33-year-old missed the last four rounds of the 2025 season with a shoulder injury. Despite taking a full part in pre-season testing, he still appears to be lacking fitness.

“I’m speaking from my limited experience compared to his,” Acosta said, via Mundo Deportivo. “Often, when you’re used to riding your bike a certain way and for whatever reason you have to ride differently, when you have to push, it’s even more difficult to focus on riding the way you’re supposed to instead of just reacting to what feels right.

“It’s clear that since Indonesia last year, he must have had some problem because it’s not normal to see this from Marc.”

Seven-time premier-class champion Marquez insists he doesn’t feel any pressure to defend his crown this year, having already completed a remarkable comeback from four arm surgeries.

‘On Sunday, he lets us down’ – Pedro Acosta on Marco Bezzecchi

Bezzecchi finished runner-up in Sunday’s race behind Alex Marquez but managed to stretch his lead over teammate Jorge Martin to 11 points.

He has scored 95 of his 101 points in the Grand Prix format, with his three Sprint retirements keeping the championship close. Acosta admits that the Italian’s rivals need to ‘step up’.

• READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi applauds ‘perfect’ Alex Marquez as MotoGP win streak ended at Spanish Grand Prix

“Perhaps before we capitalised on his mistakes in the sprint, but on Sunday he lets us down and that’s what’s solidifying him as a clear contender for the world championship,” he said. “If the rest of us want to do something, we’ll have to step up our game.”

Acosta finished a season-low P10 at Jerez on a difficult weekend for KTM, which saw him lose third place in the standings to VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.