Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez admits he is “not riding in an automatic way” on the 2026 Ducati, following practice at the Thai Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old starts the new campaign as favourite to win the championship again, though currently looks to be on the back foot at Buriram after the opening day.

Though Marc Marquez was second at the end of the hour-long Practice, he was over four tenths of a second adrift of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, who was fastest across Friday’s running.

Marquez admitted on Thursday that he has to start the season on the 2024-spec Ducati aero as it makes the bike less physical on his right shoulder, which he injured badly last October at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

After Friday’s practice, he admits he is still having to adjust his riding style.

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“I need to improve myself,” he said.

“I need to keep working on my riding style. Still, I’m not riding in an automatic way.

“So, let’s see if tomorrow I can do a step.

“But at the moment, it looks like Aprilia and Marco are riding really fast here.

“For some reason, they are able to make the different [tyre] casing we have here and also Mandalika work.”

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Marquez: We were lucky not to miss Q2

Marquez faced a nervy start to the afternoon session as he ended up outside of the top 10 cut-off for a direct Q2 spot, with constant rain spots threatening the circuit.

He eventually made safe passage into the top 10, but admits Ducati was “lucky” not to face a double Q1 appearance with its factory team, after Pecco Bagnaia struggled to 15th.

“Yeah, was a tricky session, especially in the end, because in one moment I was out of Q2 because of the fact I started the Practice with the medium [rear tyre]; we took a bit of a risk there,” he explained.

“But then, when I saw I was already in P5, I was quiet.

“And then we were able to do the last time attack in a good way.

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“But it’s true that at the moment, we need to keep working because Marco Bezzecchi is one step ahead of everybody.

“The team sent me a message [to pit for soft tyres], but too late because I was already in the braking point of Turn 12 and I saw that I was out of the top 10.

“Then we stopped and we switched as soon as possible. We were lucky.

“We were lucky that there were only some drops and not like in Moto2, where it was heavier rain.”

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