Marco Bezzecchi
Claudio Domenicali now admits that Marc Marquez’s surgery on his shoulder injury at the end of 2025 has contributed to Ducati’s difficult start to the 2026 MotoGP season.
The factory Ducati crew have endured their worst start to a campaign since 2013, having not earned a Grand Prix podium after the opening four rounds. Ducati even rank only fifth in the teams’ standings with 100 fewer points than Aprilia and five fewer than satellite team VR46.
Marquez is also only fifth in the riders’ standings with a 44-point deficit to Marco Bezzecchi, having so far only scored 57 points and failed to score any in a Grand Prix twice. The seven-time champion retired due to a puncture in Thailand and crashed in the Spanish Grand Prix.
Ducati could at least partly celebrate at Jerez, as Gresini’s Alex Marquez won the Spanish GP last Sunday for the first feature race win by a pilot aboard a Desmosedici this year. VR46 ace Fabio Di Giannantonio, who is the top Ducati in the standings, even took his second podium.
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Claudio Domenicali admits that Marc Marquez’s shoulder injury has affected Ducati’s form
Sprint Races had been Ducati’s sole solace this year before the Spanish GP, as Marquez won the Sprint in Brazil and also at Jerez (albeit controversially). Marquez won the Sprint at Jerez after avoiding a penalty for cutting across the track to swap bikes after crashing in the rain.
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Ducati CEO Domenicali is not surprised that the Borgo Panigale team are encountering more competition this term, in what is the final season of the 1,000cc era. But he also admits that Marquez’s shoulder injury has played a part, as it was “more serious” than they anticipated.
“I think we already saw in the second half of last year how several manufacturers had grown significantly,” Domenicali told Motosprint. “We won six constructors’ titles and four riders’ titles, finishing on the podium in 88 consecutive races.
“These are things that have never happened in the entire MotoGP era – there’s always a moment when you stop. Obviously, we wish it would never end, but that’s part of the nature of racing.
“I think it was a combination of factors, including this one. Marc’s injury was probably more serious than what we saw. This caused a longer rehabilitation period.
“We have work to do, but that’s the beautiful part of sport – the best will win, as always, and we like to be among those who can compete and aspire to be the best. We have to keep our heads down and work.”
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Marquez underwent surgery on his right shoulder last October after he sustained a coracoid fracture and ligament damage from his trip through the gravel when he was taken out of the Indonesian GP by Bezzecchi. The injury ruled Marquez out for the final four rounds of 2025.
Yet despite Marquez suggesting upon arriving at Jerez that he was finally in a positive place with his fitness, concerns remain over the extent to which he has recovered from the injury. Jorge Lorenzo does not think Marquez is riding “comfortably” after watching him last week.
KTM rival Pedro Acosta thinks it is “clear” that Marquez is struggling with his right shoulder, as well, following his mixed time at Jerez. And after the 33-year-old crashed out of Sunday’s race, it is thought that Marquez cannot cope with the higher cornering speeds seen in 2026.
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