Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo is certain that Marc Marquez’s difficulties with Ducati in 2026 are due to his most recent shoulder injury, asserting ‘he simply cannot brake’.
With four rounds of racing now in the books, Marc Marquez is currently enduring his worst start to a MotoGP campaign that he has taken part in every single round.
The reigning world champion currently sits in P5 in the riders’ standings with 57 points, some 44 points adrift of Marco Bezzecchi at the front of the championship.
Did Marc Marquez end his title hopes at Jerez or was it just a blip?
Despite securing two wins in the Sprint format, and an additional podium from his P2 in Brazil, Marquez is yet to find himself on the Grand Prix rostrum, with it understood that the broken collarbone he sustained last year is still causing him some issues.
Jorge Lorenzo details how Marc Marquez can’t race ‘like he used to’ after injuring his shoulder
In a discussion between Ricard Jove and Jorge Lorenzo during the latest episode of the Duralavita MotoGP podcast, the latter pointed out how Marquez’s regression from his title-winning campaign last year to now is simply down to his injured shoulder.
Jove began by noting the current landscape of the riders’ championship, asserting that it is still anyone’s to play for. “In my opinion, I think it is extremely wide open right now,” he started.
“Bezzecchi is surely the favourite, but Di Giannantonio is, for now, the most impressively consistent rider on the Ducati. Now Alex has joined in as well, who is finally back to that good feeling, as we have clearly seen in his recent statements.”
The former MotoGP team boss then got onto the topic of the factory Ducati star, adding, “Then there is Marc, who doesn’t quite… he definitely has that raw speed, but I really don’t know if it is just a physical issue or if it is something else entirely at this stage.”
Should we be worried about MotoGP’s popularity in Spain when Marc Marquez retires?
Television audiences also plummeted after his crash
However, Lorenzo is adamant that Marquez’s injured shoulder is the root cause of his issues. He replied, “For me, it’s the arm, he simply cannot brake.
“He does not have the necessary physical power to take that bike to the limit in the braking zones, or when entering corners like he used to do before. It’s physical power, it’s the physical side.”
- READ MORE: MotoGP fans wonder how many more crashes Marc Marquez can take after Spanish Grand Prix error
Marc Marquez banned his engineers from talking about his fitness at the Spanish Grand Prix
During the most recent round at Jerez, Marquez revealed that he banned his Ducati engineers from talking about his fitness over the course of the race weekend.
Of course, the topic of his health has been a big talking point during the 2026 campaign, but it marked the first time that he addressed the saga publicly in the press.
Marquez’s mother, Roser Alenta, also hit back at critics who suggested that the Spaniard is no longer at the top of his game due to the recent mistakes that he has made in 2026.
She asserted that her son is not ‘finished’ in MotoGP, highlighting the likelihood of his rivals also making some mistakes over the course of the season.
The 33-year-old is hoping to defend his MotoGP title for the first time since the 2020 season, but the current landscape of the championship suggests he has a tall order on his hands for the remainder of the term.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
