Alex Marquez admits he is “struggling quite a lot” on Ducati’s 2026 MotoGP bike, having begun the campaign in stark contrast to the same stage one year ago.
The Gresini Ducati rider enjoyed a stunning start to the 2025 season on his 2024-spec bike, finishing second in Thailand, Argentina and America in all three sprints and grands prix.
After the US Grand Prix last year, he actually led the championship by a point over eventual title winner Marc Marquez.
Alex Marquez would win three times in 2025 and offer his older brother a consistent challenge in the first half of the campaign, ultimately finishing runner-up in the standings.
While expected to perform well on the GP24 coming into the 2025 season, the level he displayed across the campaign came as one of the biggest surprises of the year.
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All of this earned him a factory bike for the 2026 season, but it has not begun in a similar fashion.
He failed to finish in the Thailand season-opener, was 8.9s from the win in sixth in a shortened Brazil race, while in America he was 11.253s away from the leader in seventh.
April break a “positive” for Alex Marquez
After three rounds, he is eighth in the standings on 28 points, which is 59 less than he had at the same stage last season.
“Yeah, it’s just we are struggling,” he said.
“We are a little bit [further] back compared to our competitors, especially me, who has a particular style.
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“I’m struggling quite a lot this year. We are trying to make some steps. I’m motivated to make the steps forward and be more competitive, but we are missing a few things still.
“So, we need to keep working, keep giving our comments, and I believe that Ducati will do a lot of work.
“They never stop working, so, for sure, there will arrive a moment in the season when we will make a step.”
Racing doesn’t resume until the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of April, following the postponement of the Qatar round due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Alex Marquez believes this is a benefit for himself and Ducati in order to further analyse its current situation.
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“It’s not frustrating [after what happened last year].
“I want to keep working and I’m motivated to take another step forward. I feel it’s close, but we’re missing something.
“I think not racing in Qatar right now is positive; it will let us analyse things better.”
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