Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez has stormed back into MotoGP title contention even though his right shoulder remains weakened.
Marquez underwent surgery to repair shoulder ligaments last autumn, but a screw from the operation became loose and started pressing on his radial nerve. This contributed to his out-of-sorts performances at the start of the season.
While the seven-time MotoGP champion has since undergone a corrective procedure, he is still regaining strength in the joint after limited training. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi recently said Marquez won’t be fully recovered until September.
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MotoGP title hopefuls may not have to face ‘fully-fit’ Marc Marquez
Based on information gathered by respected Italian journalist Giovanni Zamagni, even the September timeline might be optimistic. In fact, Marquez might never return to ‘100%’, if that’s taken to mean his 2025 condition.
In a Q&A on his YouTube channel, Zamagni was asked whether Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura, who is 14 points behind Jorge Martin but has been the top-performing Aprilia rider lately, could beat a ‘fully fit’ Marquez in the title race.
The #93 missed the Grand Prix at Le Mans and the entire Barcelona weekend before returning at Mugello.
“Well, Marquez might unfortunately never be fully fit again,” Zamagni reported. “I’ve been told he’s still struggling within the team; they say he isn’t physically right.”
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Marquez has already signed a new contract that should keep him at Ducati until the end of the 2028 season.
Despite the lingering fitness concerns, Marquez has won three of the last four races, or five of the last nine when Sprints are included. He produced a vintage performance in Germany last time out to take a record-extending 10th victory at the Sachsenring.
While it’s impossible to put an accurate number on it, one would assume Marquez is somewhere between 80 and 90% fitness if he is able to perform at that level.
The question is whether that will be enough to defend his title this year – he is currently 18 points behind Martin – and beat young sensation Pedro Acosta on equal machinery in 2027.
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