Marco Bezzecchi
Neil Hodgson feels Ducati’s Marc Marquez is not riding like himself at the 2026 French Grand Prix, as he was too afraid of suffering another injury during practice at Le Mans.
Marquez had a rather miserable Friday at the French GP, and he must now go through Q1 in qualifying for the first time in 2026 this Saturday. The defending MotoGP champion only set the 13th-quickest lap time in the pre-qualifying practice session at Le Mans, with a 1:30.371.
Home hero Johann Zarco set the pace in practice at the French GP for LCR with his 1:29.907 on the Honda RC213V. Marquez’s misery was not a case of the Ducati GP26 not coping with the circuit, either, as three other riders on the GP26 joined Zarco in locking out the top four.
Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 continued his trend of being the most consistent Ducati rider aboard the GP26, as the Italian finished Friday just 0.010 seconds slower than Zarco. Factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini’s Alex Marquez both did a 1:30.045 for P3 and P4.
Johann Zarco books himself a spot in Q2 with the fastest time in practice at Le Mans… Will Marc Marquez manage to make it through Q1? 👀
Neil Hodgson saw Marc Marquez look ‘fragile’ in practice at the French Grand Prix
Rather than the Ducati GP26 causing Marquez to struggle in practice at the French GP whilst his fellow GP26 riders ran well, Hodgson says the Spaniard looked “fragile” and did not want to sustain another injury. He is still recovering from the surgery on his shoulder last October.
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Marquez suffered a coracoid fracture and ligament damage in his right shoulder after he was taken out in the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. But Hodgson feels Marquez showed at Le Mans that he is still riding within himself to avoid yet another injury.
Hodgson said on TNT Sports 2 (08/05, 14:39): “[Marquez] doesn’t look himself. He’s slightly off it, it’s the truth, isn’t it?
“I saw it this morning, and then I saw it this afternoon. He set off, and he was really steady. I mean, really steady. And I’m watching him thinking, ‘What is going on?’, because that has never been his approach.
“And eventually those 260-odd crashes, they catch up with you. Now, he’s thinking I can’t afford to go down early in a session, as he’s fragile. He’s like a China cup now. He obviously threw his weekend in America with him crashing early.”
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Marquez admitted that his injury was causing his struggles earlier in the season, rather than the issues he has faced adapting to the Ducati GP26. The 33-year-old also arrived at Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix last time out stating that he finally felt content about his shoulder.
But his tune seemed to change upon arriving at Le Mans, with Marquez suggesting that the Ducati GP26 has made him “considerably slower” in fast corners – particularly left-handers. The seven-time champion does not enjoy a great feeling with the front end of Ducati’s bike.
Add in Marquez’s shoulder injury, and Sylvain Guintoli agrees with Hodgson that the 73-time MotoGP Grand Prix winner has lost the “edge” that he has shown throughout his career. The Spaniard has yet to score a Grand Prix podium in 2026, and he sits just fifth in the standings.
Guintoli added: “If you look back at all his years in MotoGP, there is an edge. There’s always an edge. And that edge, this year, we’re struggling to see it. I know it’s because of the injury that he’s still recovering from. That edge, it just seems like it’s gone a little bit.”
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