Marc Marquez admitted he does not yet have the same physical strength as last year, as he continues to recover from the shoulder injury that cut short his title-winning MotoGP campaign in Indonesia.
The Spaniard begins his title defence in Buriram this weekend as one of the favourites, having shown strong pace throughout pre-season testing. But his winter preparations have been far from straightforward.
The fracture he sustained at Lombok in October ruled him out of the crucial post-season test in Valencia and severely limited his off-season training.
It wasn’t until the end of December that he was able to ride a bike of any kind, and he only sampled the GP26 for the first time at the Sepang test in February.
Marquez had already made it clear during testing that he doesn’t know when he will be able to return to full fitness – or what his current ceiling truly is.
These limitations have now impacted his choice of aero package for 2026, with the 30-year-old revealing that he has reverted to a previous version that is less physically demanding.
“The truth is that I’ll start with 2024 aerodynamics. Last year I finished with the 2025 ones, but there’s a reason for everything,” he told Spanish broadcaster DAZN.
“I’m not saying I won’t use the ‘25 again during the season. But right now, I have to ride in a way that the ‘24 aerodynamics help me a little more than the ’25.
“At the moment, I don’t have the strength I had last year. So I need a bike that turns a little more, that goes more in the right line and doesn’t force it as much as last year with the aerodynamic step.”
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP via Getty Images
Marquez reiterated that his injury has proved more serious than originally thought, prolonging his recovery timeline.
“I don’t know what my 100% will be, so we’re improving. I feel like there’s still room for improvement,” he said.
“Obviously, the injury in Indonesia was no joke. It was an injury that at first looked like it would heal quickly and I could be in Valencia, but they told me very quickly that it was going to be a tough winter. But now we’re still looking for 100% after this new injury.”
Marquez’s pre-season was complicated by a stomach bug during last weekend’s Buriram test, although he still finished as the top Ducati rider in third, behind the Aprilias of Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura.
“I’m feeling energetic,” he said. “The gastroenteritis, which was treated with Fortasec [medication], has subsided. But it’s true that afterwards your body feels empty, and during the test it was impossible to recover. But yesterday, on Wednesday, I was already feeling energetic.”
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