Andrea Dovizioso feels Marc Marquez is ‘forcing’ himself to ignore ‘instincts’ as he lacks a Plan B

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Andrea Dovizioso thinks Marc Marquez is now forcing himself to ride within his limits, as the Ducati star has no “Plan B” in his bid to retain the MotoGP riders’ title in 2026.

Marquez dominated the premier class after joining the factory Ducati team in 2025 and won the title in record fashion with five rounds to spare. But the Spaniard’s bid to defend his title in 2026 took a big early dent, as a persistent problem with his shoulder restricted his riding.

The 33-year-old recovered from the surgery on a coracoid fracture and ligament damage in his right shoulder from last October. However, Marquez’s crash during the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix also bent two screws from an earlier injury that pushed against the radial nerve.

It was only once the Cervera native returned to action in 2026 that the nerve issue became clear. So, after Marquez tried to keep his shoulder operation a secret even from Ducati, the seven-time champion had surgery again in May to remove the screws and a bone fragment.

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Andrea Dovizioso feels Marc Marquez is fighting his ‘instincts’ as he cannot ride flat-out

Marquez missed the French and Catalan Grands Prix to have surgery on his shoulder, but he has been a reborn rider since returning in Italy. Since Marquez settled for P7 at Mugello, the Spaniard has won the Hungarian, Czech and German Grands Prix and accepted P7 at Assen.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s biggest MotoGP title comebacks

However, while Marquez’s recent run of results has seen him overturn a 102-point deficit to Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia and now be only 18 points behind Aprilia’s Jorge Martin atop the standings, Dovizioso thinks the Ducati ace is fighting his instincts as he cannot ride flat-out.

Dovizioso said in a video on his YouTube channel: “More than just doing what’s enough, he’s trying to manage himself and keep himself in check.

“But it’s a struggle because even though he is approaching it differently, he’s forcing himself not to push when he wants to, because it’s instinctive.

“He would like to push, he’s used to that, but he’s managing himself. But he has reached this point because he doesn’t have a Plan B. He’s forced to do it to try to win the championship.”

Marquez admitted that he was riding with “one and a half arms” at the start of this year due to the bent screws pushing against the radial nerve in his shoulder, which restricted what he could do aboard the Ducati GP26. The injury also saw Marquez lose muscle mass in his right shoulder, which he is still striving to regain and is forcing him to have to race within himself.

Even after he won the Sprint Race at the Sachsenring from pole position, Marquez admitted he felt “really uncomfortable” at the German Grand Prix. Neil Hodgson even felt the Ducati rider looked “stiff” during the Sprint Race, and he also controlled his pace in the main race.

Since returning from injury, Marquez has only pushed his body when he felt like he needed something extra – like for his podium in the Brno Sprint and victory in the Czech Grand Prix.

Whereas in the Dutch Grand Prix, Marquez settled for a P7 finish, as he knew his body could not cope with the demands of the TT Circuit Assen. And Marquez’s race management stuns Jorge Lorenzo, as he feels his fellow Spaniard is sacrificing pace to “survive” in the title fight.