Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati are falling behind in 2026, and Neil Hodgson says they are suffering the same situation as Honda did with Marc Marquez.
The Ant of Cervera has been suffering from the effects of his 2025 injuries in 2026, with a loose screw in his right arm giving him nerve problems. He was struggling to stay competitive in the early races before his highside at Le Mans forced him into surgery.
Returning to action at Mugello, the Ducati rider performed admirably, qualifying fourth and finishing fifth in the Sprint. Marquez ‘gave up’ on Sunday as he came home seventh at the Italian Grand Prix, with Aprilia again showing that they have the upper hand in 2026.
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Neil Hodgson says Ducati are suffering without their ‘magician’ Marc Marquez, just like Honda did
Aprilia have shown that they have the fastest bike on the grid this year, with Marco Bezzecchi claiming his fourth win of 2026 at Mugello. Meanwhile, the factory Ducati team have not won a race yet, with Marquez being without a podium.
Carlo Pernat thinks Marquez has given up on 2026, with him now sitting 102 points behind Bezzecchi. He is struggling to get to full fitness, and Ducati are suffering without him.
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Hodgson has drawn similarities to his time at Honda. The Japanese giants regressed dramatically after dominating the 2010s, and while Marquez had numerous crashes and injury setbacks, none of their riders could extract top results.
Jorge Lorenzo thinks Marquez could have still won on Honda’s regressing bike, but when he was not on the bike, the manufacturer were in No Man’s Land. Hodgson says Ducati are in the same boat now.
He said on the Gas It Out podcast: “Ducati will be very disappointed. If you look at the result, Pecco finished sort of where he should have finished.
If Jorge Martin was fully fit in 2025, where would he have finished with Aprilia?
“Again, every time we analyse this Aprilia, it’s better. It just is. So, you have to beat the Aprilia, you have to have the perfect race. And Pecco’s still rebuilding his confidence. He’s still searching for the ultimate feeling from this ‘26 version of the factory Ducati.
“But in reality, Ducati have to look in the mirror and say we are not providing. They have ended up in the Honda situation; their number one rider is not fit, and without him being the magician that he’s been able to be throughout his career, like he was with Honda.
“So without their absolute superstar rider being able to do miraculous things, that’s where they’re at now, Ducati. They’re the second-best manufacturer, and a third place is a solid result for Pecco at home. That’s the that’s reality, isn’t it?”
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