Reigning MotoGP champ says he’s feeling confident ahead of Thai opener despite shoulder issues, test crashes and recent gastro
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will begin the 2026 season on Ducati’s older 2024 aero package, conceding his ongoing recovery from a serious right shoulder injury has influenced the decision.
The 33-year-old’s issue dates back to a first-lap clash with Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi at October’s Indonesian Grand Prix, which left Marquez with a complicated shoulder injury. While he was able to complete pre-season testing and still arrives as a leading contender for the new title fight, Marquez says his current physical condition has effectively determined the bike configuration he’ll race at the start of the year.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, Marquez explained that aero choice isn’t simply about ultimate performance, but what best suits a rider at a given moment.
“Basically, in the end, about aerodynamics, aero package, you need to find the best for your moment, for your riding style, and the one that performs better,” he said on Thursday ahead of the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix.
He added that, having preferred Ducati’s 2025-spec aero previously, he’s now gone back a step because the newer package asks more of him physically at a time when his shoulder still isn’t allowing him to ride as he did last year.
“The fact that I stepped back in the aerodynamics, one of the reasons is because I cannot ride the bike in the same way as last year at the moment.“The 2025 aerodynamics were a little bit more heavy for the bike, more demanding for the physical condition.
“And then I’m just trying to adapt my riding style to what I have now in my physical condition. But this doesn’t matter that it’s not working well. Both [packages] are working well, but in a different way. But one of my abilities is to adapt to what I have and what I need. So, I will try one more time in my career to adapt my riding style to this new situation until I feel more ready.”
Despite managing the shoulder rehab through testing, Marquez’s build-up wasn’t straightforward. He also dealt with illness during the Buriram test, which he says affected his energy and clarity early on before improving.
“Yeah, very good. I started feeling more energy. As you know, on the first day I had a stomach problem, gastroenteritis. I was struggling a lot, but now I’m back feeling good. This doesn’t mean more speed, but it means more focus and more energy to ride the bike.”
Even so, Marquez believes Ducati made progress as the test wrapped up, with the final running giving him a stronger feeling on the bike and a better baseline heading into round one—while noting that early confidence doesn’t automatically translate to outright pace once everyone turns up to race.
“The last day, in the last hours, we did some steps and I started to feel more and more comfortable with the bike. I feel good confidence. Obviously, we need to understand the level of the others, because you can feel good but that doesn’t mean you’ll be the fastest. The others will reach this level, everybody, and from that point I start to work.”
Marquez also expects the transition from testing to a race weekend to help his body, arguing the stop-start nature of testing is typically tougher physically than racing—particularly while he’s still getting back to full strength.
“It’s true that I think the process of my recovery made this pre-season a bit more difficult to be precise in the comments and to be always riding in the same way,” he said.
“But, testing is always harder for physicla condition than race weekend. So, I expect to start here in a good way. This season is new for everybody, we will try to fight against them and to be ready from the beginning.”
With the field appearing tightly packed through pre-season, Marquez acknowledged rivals looked sharp—some even quicker over a single hit-out—though he emphasised the long-game perspective with 22 races on the calendar.
“Yeah, of course. At the moment in preseason they were super close, even faster than me. I would say I was close to them, but let’s see. This championship is 22 races and the first race, you don’t win and you don’t lose the championship. It’s another race, an important race, because if you start in a good way, it will be easier in the next races.”
