Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna says the brand’s inability to begin testing for 2026 in the final MotoGP rounds of this year has been “the main problem” with Marc Marquez’s injury.
The 32-year-old wrapped up his seventh premier class title at the Japanese Grand Prix, marking his first as a factory Ducati rider.
With five rounds still remaining at that point, Marc Marquez and Ducati were already turning their attentions to 2026 by using the final races for testing.
However, Marquez suffered a serious right shoulder injury in a collision with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix.
A subsequent surgery on the shoulder has left Marquez sidelined for the rest of the season.
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“For sure, he was really unlucky, because it was not really his fault,” Dall’Igna told the official MotoGP website.
“But for sure sometimes this can happen.
“He knows that he needs to accept this, and he will follow the reasonable path that he has to do.
“Before the crash, the plan was to try to develop something during the final races of 2025.
“This is not possible at the moment. This is the main problem of this accident.”
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Ducati has largely been unable to rely on Pecco Bagnaia to carry out this duty, as the double world champion’s form has been too inconsistent since the summer break.
For the final two rounds of the season, beginning this weekend in Portugal, Ducati will replace Marquez with World Superbike star Nicolo Bulega.
Marquez will also be unable to take part in the post-race test in Valencia on the Tuesday after the season finale.
A timeline for his recovery has not been given, though MotoGP medical director Dr Angel Charte said in a recent AS interview that Marquez cannot return until he is 100% fit.
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