Marco Bezzecchi
Things are only getting tougher for Marc Marquez in MotoGP as he struggles to find his form after injury setbacks in 2026. It will not get easier in 2027 with Pedro Acosta, as Neil Hodgson has warned.
The 2026 season has been a tough ride for Marquez, as the injury from Indonesia last year is still causing him trouble. Marquez kept his injury a secret from Ducati, revealing at Le Mans that a loose screw in his arm is affecting his nerves on a MotoGP bike.
The Spaniard suffered a violent highside at the French GP and was ruled out of Sunday’s race and this weekend’s race in Barcelona. With constant injury setbacks, many are starting to worry about his future in the sport.
Was Marc Marquez right to keep his nerve problem a secret from Ducati?
Many insiders fear Marquez will not return to his best after his latest knocks, with the 33-year-old now 71 points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Marquez is committed to Ducati until 2028, but his performance levels will certainly be questioned after too many crashes, especially when Acosta is next to him at Ducati next year.
Neil Hodgson says Pedro Acosta is Marc Marquez ‘from 10 years ago’
The KTM rider is already showing he is a real talent in MotoGP, and on a Desmosedici, he will be determined to get the better of Marquez and win a title.
Hodgson warned on the Gas It Out podcast that Acosta is Marquez ‘from 10 years ago’ and will do everything to beat his teammate while doubts swirl about his future: “33 years old, with all these… nine world titles, but all the injuries, all the operations, everything.
“Are we looking at the chance of another comeback? Look, this season’s gone, or shall I say this world championship this year is gone, that’s a definite, don’t think we can argue with that.
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“But can he come back? I talk about digging deep, reaching into a bag looking for motivation, digging deep. Surely he’s at that point now where he’s against concrete and the spade’s broken, because you keep chipping away and eventually you run out.
“It’s not there anymore. And I feel like this must be it. Big change for next year, obviously no one knows which bike’s going to be the best.
“He’s going to have Pedro Acosta as a teammate, who’s essentially Marc Marquez from 10 years ago. So, obviously ridiculously talented, prepared to do whatever it takes.
“Can Marc find that deep within him to continue? I mean, my gut feeling I’d have to say probably not. And you can’t blame him, but I think, let’s see what happens.”
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Sylvain Guintoli warns Marc Marquez that nerve damage could be something he can’t recover from
Marquez has had successful surgery to his right arm and foot, but Sylvain Guintoli has warned that he may not fully recover from the nerve problem he has suffered with.
He added: “This changes everything, because this means that… I did think a little bit like Neil before this was announced and clear, because I was thinking, well, there’s no solutions here and it’s not happening, it’s not working, whatever is going on [with] this recovery at the start of the season.
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“So I was thinking, well, this is going to be hard now, what do you do moving forward? Now this changes everything because this means that there is a hope of fixing this problem.
“And we don’t know actually, because the nerve, when you got a nerve issue and potentially nerve damage, it can take a long time to recover from that, or it can also not recover at all.
“So hopefully the feeling comes back after that surgery and now that they remove that screw and we get the normal Marc Marquez, I would say.”
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