Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez may be more worried than he is prepared to let on in public about how likely Ducati are to fight Aprilia for the 2026 MotoGP title after their early challenges.
The Bologna Bullets have endured their worst start to a season since 2013, with their factory outfit yet to score a Grand Prix podium after the first four rounds. Gresini pilot Alex Marquez and VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio are the only Ducati riders to reach the rostrum thus far.
Marc Marquez crashed out of the Spanish GP last Sunday whilst running P2, after he lost the lead of the race at Jerez to his younger brother. His crash denied the elder Marquez sibling a chance to improve his best Grand Prix finish so far this year of P4 in Brazil during round two.
Crashing out of second place in the Spanish GP also helped to see Marquez leave Jerez with a 44-point deficit to Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia in the riders’ standings. The 33-year-old has never faced a bigger deficit through four rounds, after trailing by 32 in 2024 and 26 in 2015.
Did Marc Marquez end his title hopes at Jerez or was it just a blip?
Marc Marquez seems more ‘worried’ than he will let on about Ducati rivalling Aprilia
The 2015 and 2024 seasons are also the only years in which Marquez completed the entire campaign and did not win the MotoGP title. Marquez finished third as Jorge Lorenzo edged Valentino Rossi for the 2015 title, and third again in 2024 while using a one-year-old Ducati.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s biggest MotoGP title comebacks
But while Marquez struggled to find a strong feeling for the front end of the Ducati GP26 in the early rounds of the 2026 season, he voiced optimism after Monday’s Jerez test that the Borgo Panigale brand can improve their situation and still rival Aprilia for the title this term.
However, MOW reports that despite Marquez seeming to be ‘super confident’ after sharing ‘optimistic’ statements, his ‘eyes’ offered a different picture. Marquez is said to have looked like someone who ‘does not believe’ his own claims, and that something is ‘worrying’ him.
It is unclear what exactly is weighing on Marquez’s mind, as he also reaffirmed that he feels “normal”. Marquez arrived at Jerez in the best physical condition he has been yet, following the surgery he needed last October on a shoulder injury that had hindered his initial results.
What has Marc Marquez said about Ducati’s progress after the 2026 Jerez test?
Should MotoGP be allowed to negotiate with each constructor individually?
Are you concerned one brand could gain an unfair advantage?
CEO Claudio Domenicali admits Marquez’s injury was “more serious” than Ducati expected it to be at first. The Spaniard sustained the injury from his trip through the gravel at Mandalika after he was taken out on the opening lap of the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix by Bezzecchi.
But Marquez’s injury only played a part in his early struggles this year, as Aprilia’s RS-GP has proven to be a match – if not better – for the Ducati GP26 at most tracks. Bezzecchi won the first three Grands Prix in 2026 before Gresini’s Alex Marquez rode his GP26 to glory at Jerez.
Monday’s Jerez test gave Ducati a chance to try to close their deficit to Aprilia. Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia agree that Ducati’s aero upgrades have helped them both improve their feeling with the front end of the GP26, and the Spaniard suggests he never doubted Ducati.
Marquez claimed, via quotes by MOW: “Ducati are working extremely hard and couldn’t do more. If there are many parts to test, a rider is happy, and I’ve never had any doubts. The potential is there, even if we are struggling more than last year.
“We’ve tried many things, and almost all of us Ducati riders have given similar feedback. My comment was very clear regarding the bike’s reactions. And to understand what I wanted to understand, I tried to ride under 1.37.”
He added: “In any case, we focused on both aerodynamics and the chassis, where we found several solutions. It was an important test to try to rediscover the feeling at the front that we’ve been missing in these first rounds of the MotoGP championship.”
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
