Alex Marquez believes he is “still missing” the final 20% from Ducati’s 2026 MotoGP bike, leaving some races feeling like a battle for “survival”
The Gresini rider has endured a subdued start to the new MotoGP season, despite Ducati equipping him with the same factory-spec machinery as Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio di Giannantonio.
The Spaniard mustered just 28 points from the opening three rounds of the season, just over half of what di Giannantonio scored at VR46 over the same period.
This has left him a distant eighth in the riders’ standings, a stark contrast to this stage of the 2025 season, when he was leading the championship from his brother Marc.
Alex Marquez’s problems are multifaceted, but it’s clear that the GP26 does not suit his riding style in the same way as the all-conquering GP24 did. This is despite Marquez opting to retain several components from the 2024-spec Desmosedici, including the aerodynamic configuration.
Further, the 29-year-old feels he is “still quite far” from extracting the maximum from his package, even after logging significant mileage during pre-season testing and the opening flyaway races.
“I’m still missing maybe 20%, I am still quite far,” he admitted in Austin. “Still, I'm not feeling really, really good with the bike. It's true that the characteristics of this bike affect my natural riding style quite a lot.
“I’m just trying to survive because the feeling is still not really, really great. So, just trying to achieve some points and not lose your head or do something strange.”
The younger Marquez built his 2025 campaign on consistency, scoring three wins and 12 podiums in Sunday races to finish runner-up in the standings.
However, while di Giannantonio has been competitive every weekend and has emerged as Ducati’s best points-scorer, Marquez has largely been limited to the midfield.
The Gresini rider drew a blank in the Buriram season-opener and failed to make much of an impression at either Goiania and Austin. His best result so far is a fourth-place finish in the US GP sprint, which was aided more by circumstances than outright pace.
Despite this, Marquez remains upbeat about his prospects for 2026 and hopes to use an unexpected break in the schedule to reset.
“No, [it's] not frustrating,” he said. “I am more eager to keep working and to keep giving my comments. I’m more motivated than ever to make the next step.
“I felt that it was close but we were missing something. I think this cancellation of Qatar will be good for us. At least to have a little bit more time to understand the things. Or to try to analyse the items and to make one step more in Jerez.
“We are getting closer step-by-step. We are working and we are having a few things that look positive. So, I just need to wait because I'm sure that we'll arrive.”
Ducati’s weaknesses
Marquez’s start to the season has also been influenced by Ducati’s own competitive struggles. While the Borgo Panigale marque dominated much of 2025, it appears to have been leapfrogged by Aprilia in the pecking order.
Marquez explained that it has become much harder for Ducati riders to find the limit of the bike this year.
“[Aprilia] have a lot of stability and a lot of grip. It looks like a low bike with a lot of stability and a lot of grip,” he admitted. “They are better than us and we need to keep working.
“We have many movements. It's difficult to understand until which point you can push, and until which point you will have a good grip.
“To find the limit or to control the limit is so difficult for us at the moment.”
With little to gain in the early races, Marquez admitted that he was focused on consolidating position at Austin rather than taking big risks.
"In the end, I wasn't able to attack, but this race isn't exactly a strategic one, because we're not playing for anything at the moment," he said. "It is about scoring points and getting the most out of it, not making mistakes."
