Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia man Marco Bezzecchi finds racing against Ducati’s Marc Marquez “special”, but it is also a “problem” if he focuses too much on the Spaniard amid the 2026 title fight.
Bezzecchi has started to build what might prove to be an unassailable lead over Marquez in the riders’ championship. Yet many in the paddock still think the Spaniard can recover from his 102-point deficit and deny the Italian his first title, in what would be a record comeback.
Francesco Bagnaia set the record for the biggest title comeback in MotoGP history when he won the 2022 championship, having trailed Fabio Quartararo by 91 points at his worst point. Marquez has longer to complete his comeback than Bagnaia did, as there are 15 races to go.
Marco Bezzecchi extends his lead at the top of the championship! What chance do you give Marc Marquez from 102 points back?
Focusing only on Marc Marquez would be a ‘problem’ for Marco Bezzecchi given the talent in MotoGP
Marquez is only eighth in the 2026 standings and he has fallen 102 points behind Bezzecchi after suffering from a nerve issue in his right shoulder over the early rounds. He also missed the French and Catalan Grands Prix to have surgery to remove two screws and fix the issue.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s biggest MotoGP title comebacks
Everyone in MotoGP thinks Marquez can still win the 2026 title now that he has found and addressed the cause of his early-season struggles. And the threat that Marquez presents is not lost on Bezzecchi, who firmly regards the seven-time champion as one of the best ever.
In particular, Bezzecchi highlights Marquez’s results for being his biggest strength. But while racing against Marquez makes Bezzecchi feel “proud”, the Aprilia ace knows that the level of talent throughout the MotoGP grid means he can only use the Ducati racer as a benchmark.
Bezzecchi told Motosprint: “Racing against him is definitely special and challenging. After all, he is one of the greatest riders of all time.
“It’s something that makes me proud, too. The problem is that while he’s strong, the level in MotoGP is really high across the board.
“Marc is the strongest in terms of results, so using him as your ‘typical benchmark’ gives you an idea of the calibre of the championship.”
Bezzecchi currently faces his clearest competition for the 2026 MotoGP title from his Aprilia teammate, Jorge Martin. The 2024 champion is only 17 points adrift of the Italian at the top of the standings after the first seven rounds, and the Aprilia RS-GP is seen as the best bike.
Marquez is still building fitness in his shoulder, too, having lost a lot of muscle owing to the two screws, which bent as a result of his crash in the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix, pushing against a nerve. It remains to be seen how long Marquez needs to get back to full fitness.
Yet even with his fitness still somewhat lacking, after Marquez admitted he “gave up” with 10 laps to go at Mugello, he is viewed as one of the favourites to win the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Martin is convinced that Marquez is the favourite at Balaton Park, given that the circuit has characteristics that suit the Ducati rider who dominated the Sprint and Grand Prix in 2025.
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