Marc Marquez says he can’t recapture the feel of last year’s Ducati MotoGP bike

Marc Marquez has spoken out about the challenges he’s facing in the early part of the 2026 MotoGP season.

Marquez’s 2025 season was cut short at the Indonesian Grand Prix after he suffered a shoulder injury following a crash with Marco Bezzecchi.

The Spaniard had been in top form before that incident, winning 11 Grands Prix and 14 Sprint Races during his debut year with the factory Ducati team.

But since returning to MotoGP, Marquez has yet to recapture that same level, struggling both in pre-season testing and during the opening round in Thailand.

Marc Marquez is finding it hard to ‘readjust’ after injuries in 2025

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Marquez said he hasn’t been able to regain the same fluidity he had before his Indonesian Grand Prix injury in 2025.

He’s still looking for that “optimal level” with the Ducati GP26, one that matches what he had on the previous year’s bike.

“Well, after an injury, you always have to readjust, more or less, change things, find a way to give a little more. After every injury, 100% is different. That’s what I’ve learned in my sporting career,” Marquez explained.

“Sometimes that 100% drops by 1%, sometimes it drops by 10%, which is a huge amount for an athlete. But we’ll try to work these next few weeks and months to find an optimal level that allows us to enjoy ourselves on the bike.

“Right now, I’m at a physical level to fight for podiums. But I still want to take another step forward.”