Alex Marquez’s present MotoGP marketing campaign has been a far cry from his breakthrough season final 12 months. The Gresini star was anticipated to construct on his 2025 success after being awarded a factory-spec bike by Ducati, however this 12 months hasn’t fairly panned out as he or his crew would have hoped.
After establishing himself as one of the crucial constant riders on the grid – he scored a minimum of one top-two end in 17 out of twenty-two weekends final 12 months – the Spaniard has discovered himself experiencing sharp swings from one race to the opposite.
With simply 5 rounds remaining, he languishes a distant eighth within the championship on 172 factors, fewer than half as many factors as his elder brother Marc Marquez. The hole to VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, who races the identical GP26 as him and has endured his personal struggles after the summer season break, stands at a considerable 73 factors.
However Gresini stays sure that the 30-year-old hasn’t misplaced any of the velocity he’s identified for. As a substitute, the crew feels he’s nonetheless being held again by a compromised proper shoulder after breaking his collarbone in an unlucky crash with Pedro Acosta on the Catalan Grand Prix in Could.
“We all know that after successful years, the later years may very well be powerful – a minimum of to repeat the identical outcomes,” Gresini crew supervisor Michele Masini informed Motorsport.com.
“This 12 months, at a sure level, after we discovered an excellent base and an excellent velocity like final 12 months, we had an enormous crash in Barcelona – an enormous damage that stopped him for a few races.
“There are some years the place you additionally must be fortunate to get outcomes and to be fixed. Generally, we overlook that damage is part of the sport.
“Thus far, we had been a bit unfortunate however I am actually impressed and pleased about his velocity as a result of he by no means misplaced the velocity.
“After the damage, he got here again and he confirmed that the velocity was there. It is true that he isn’t nonetheless at his 100% with the appropriate shoulder after the damage. To trip a MotoGP bike, it’s a must to be at 100%. For instance, if in the intervening time you’re 95%, you’re lacking one thing.
“However we are going to attempt to maximise each weekend to attempt to deliver residence good outcomes.”
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Picture by: Gold and Goose Images / Getty Pictures
Robust beginnings
Alex Marquez was already on the again foot in the beginning of the season, with the GP26 proving ill-suited to his driving model. This left him feeling unable to take advantage of the ultimate 20% of the bike’s efficiency, with Aprilia’s superiority over Ducati including to his woes. After the opening three flyaways, he had gathered a measly 28 factors.
However because the championship returned to Europe, Gresini and Alex Marquez lastly hit the appropriate chord, and so they ended Aprilia’s successful streak with a dominant efficiency at Jerez. That renewed type seemingly carried into the next rounds, with Marquez successful the Barcelona dash and difficult Pedro Acosta for victory within the grand prix.
Then, Acosta’s KTM all of the sudden slowed down with {an electrical} downside on the again straight, leaving Marquez with little time to take evasive motion. Whereas he managed to keep away from the wall after being despatched off the observe at excessive velocity, he slammed the bottom with heavy power and broke his collarbone.
Marquez was pressured to overlook the next two races at Mugello and Balaton Park, whereas lingering issues additionally pressured him to desert his comeback at Brno. It wasn’t till the Dutch GP – two rounds earlier than the summer season break – that he was capable of begin a Sunday race once more.
Since then, the youthful Marquez has skilled each highs and lows in MotoGP, however he has but to breed the extent of consistency that made him a title contender in 2025.
With the calendar changing into much more demanding within the second half of the season, the ultimate 10 races scheduled throughout simply 14 weekends, the bodily toll has solely amplified.
“I am nonetheless struggling a bit of bit on the shoulder,” Marquez admitted in Mandalika. “Once I got here again from the damage, it was not dangerous, as a result of it was one race, then one week off, one race, one week off, and it was fairly straightforward.
“However from Misano…. already in Austria, I struggled quite a bit. Already in Japan with the [long] flight and every thing, I struggled extra, and right here [in Indonesia], way more.
“So it is the explanation why we save a bit of little bit of bodily [energy] and check out to not irritate the shoulder a lot.”
Repeated errors
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Picture by: Gold and Goose Images / Getty Pictures
Since his comeback, Alex Marquez has additionally made a number of uncharacteristic errors. On the German GP, he blamed his personal “overconfidence” after crashing out of a secure second place behind Marc Marquez. Likewise, when the season resumed after the summer season break, he was the quickest Ducati rider at Silverstone however threw away his possibilities of a podium end with what he described as an “unacceptable” mistake.
Extra just lately, the Motegi weekend changed into an entire catastrophe as he made the gear-change mistake on two occasionbs, upshifting when he ought to have been downshifting into the nook.
Masini burdened that bouncing again from setbacks is a part of the problem a MotoGP rider faces of their profession.
“The essential factor is {that a} rider and the crew collectively want to have the ability to reset typically,” he mentioned.
“Generally it’s a must to face totally different circumstances, which may have an effect on your weekend. Generally after a crash, the rider has to change his thoughts to reset and perceive what occurred.
“However it’s additionally regular {that a} worst weekend might occur throughout a season.”
No catching Marc Marquez
Alex Marquez’s current type echoes a wider pattern inside the Ducati contingent, with the gulf between Marc Marquez and the remainder of its riders having considerably widened within the second half of the season. Because the season resumed at Silverstone, Marc Marquez has amassed a whopping 163 factors due to his three double victories and one other dash success. Alex Marquez has been the second-highest Ducati scorer in that interval, however his 85 factors quantity to little greater than half his brother’s tally.
Gresini, nonetheless, is satisfied that Alex Marquez’s degree would have been much like 2025, even compared to Marc, had he been totally match.
“I’ve to say that earlier than the Barcelona weekend he was there – at some factors, he was even quicker than Marc,” Masini mentioned. “If I’ve to consider earlier than the damage, I’ve to say that he was on the similar degree of final 12 months by way of competing with Marc.
“Within the second half [of the season], we nonetheless need to face the restoration from this damage, but it surely’s true that we proceed to have Marc because the reference at Ducati as a result of some targets modified for us throughout this season.
“However we want to proceed to push as a result of we’ve to achieve some targets, the riders’ standings and groups’ standings within the championship.”
Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
Picture by: Gold and Goose Images / Getty Pictures
Regardless of the inconsistency and the avoidable errors, Alex Marquez has put collectively some robust performances whereas coping with his shoulder damage. Within the Aragon dash, he completed a powerful second place, whereas he additionally placed on a late problem in opposition to Marc Marquez for victory on the San Marino GP, though Marc had him lined.
Contemplating the difficulties Di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia have additionally confronted on the GP26, Alex Marquez continues to ship respectable outcomes, though the hole to the entrance stays too massive for a rider of his calibre.
As Alex Marquez prepares to deliver the curtain down on a four-year chapter with Gresini, the crew is eager to finish issues on a excessive. The Spaniard rebuilt himself on the Italian squad after a troublesome spell at Honda, and is now ripe for a manufacturing unit seat.
Masini stays satisfied that Alex’s underlying velocity has not disappeared and believes his dedication to get well can nonetheless yield ends in the closing rounds.
“I admire his power and his dedication to come back again on the high degree – on the highest degree potential,” Masini mentioned of his comeback.
“He nonetheless did all of the issues essential to get well after each session, after each race. It is true that these back-to-back races don’t assist us a lot by way of restoration, however he is nonetheless attempting the way in which to be quick, and it is working.
“We’ll attempt to maximise each weekend to attempt to deliver residence good outcomes. I am actually pleased with him. We’ve got the final [few] races [of the season] to place all along with this crew and obtain lots of outcomes.”
We wish your opinion!
What would you wish to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
– The Motorsport.com Staff