Turning points happen all the time. Sometimes small, often reversible. But sometimes even the small ones are hugely significant. It was impossible to watch Marc Marquez at Silverstone for the British GP without wondering if we were witnessing a turning point.
The multiple champion came ninth in Saturday’s Sprint, and seventh in Sunday’s feature race… not even top Ducati in a weekend when the formerly dominant Desmos struggled. He was shaded both by brother Alex and Fabio Di Giannantonio, and on Saturday even by Franco Morbidelli.
This after three wins in the last four races had put his injury-interrupted title defence back on target. Now he dropped from 15 to 40 points off series leader Jorge Martin.
All this shortly after signing on for two more years with Ducati’s top team.
At Silverstone and in the preceding weeks, Marc has been at pains to say that his future ambitions lay not in wins and championships but “to enjoy my sport”. Some champions, he added, end up hating what they do.
On Sunday evening at Silverstone, enjoyment was in short supply, as an unusually glum and taciturn Marquez vouchsafed the simple information: “The bike was working well, the tyres were working well. I just couldn’t find the way to be faster.”
A statement I thought I would never hear from him, and two downbeat races that I thought I’d never see. Was this the same rider who, returning from surgery at Mugello and still not race fit, fought tooth and nail with KTM’s Pedro Acosta over sixth place, with the gleeful comment, “I knew he was faster but I didn’t want to sell my skin cheaply.”
Silverstone is kryptonite to Ducati. Stop-and-go strength is worthless through the fast and rhythmic complex corners. They still have had wins there in the past.
This year, however, it belonged to Aprilia. The sweet-handling chassis excelled at the longest track of the year. They claimed the top three in qualifying and both races. The 2026 superiority was more evident than ever.
One vignette was revealing. Aprilia debuted new aero: a reprofiled tank and modified seat wings, and most obvious a large square vertical tailfin on the swingarm. Martin won with it on Saturday, and Marco Bezzecchi (twice third, in spite of injuries) fitted it on Sunday.
And Ducati, former aero pace-setters? Alex Marquez ditched his latest seat aero for last year’s.
This seemed to help, along with a smoother, more tyre-friendly riding style, because he was the top Ducati all weekend. Unkind observers, however, noted that the old aero was one step back, compared with Aprilia’s one step forward.
The interest now lies in the immediate future. Will Marc’s Silverstone turning point be reversible? Probably yes, but he needs to prove it.
The next race at Aragon is a strong chance. The Motorland track runs anticlockwise, very much his preferred direction. He has recorded eight premier-class wins here, while his chief title rivals Martin and Bezzecchi have none in any class. Two wins were after joining Ducati, the last two visits. Desmos had won the previous two races there as well.
There is plenty of this season left, and plenty of time for Marc to regain momentum… although it has just got that bit harder.
Nine rounds remain (presuming Qatar goes ahead), and Marc and/or Ducati can boast success at most of them – Aragon, San Marino, Austria, Japan, Australia, Qatar and Malaysia. But Aprilia dominated in Australia last year (in Marc’s absence), Indonesia is his bogey track and Portugal was an Aprilia playground last year.
Given Aprilia’s step forward this year, the balance could shift at several of the forthcoming tracks.
Perhaps Marc’s best chance will come with Aprilia’s four riders taking points off one another. And in regaining the sort of confidence that was so clearly lacking at Silverstone.
