DUCATI CEO URGES MARC MARQUEZ TO PUSH LESS IN PRACTICE DUE TO ONGOING INJURY

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali says Marc Marquez’s 2026 MotoGP title push is real, but insists the Spaniard “still” has an injury problem in his right arm and shoulder. Domenicali’s comments come as the championship picture has tightened dramatically after a season start that looked bleak for Marquez.

Earlier in 2026, Marquez suffered a major setback to his rivals while dealing with his shoulder issues, including a period where he was unable to ride as naturally as he wanted. Domenicali described the early deficit as effectively “irretrievable” at one point, after Marquez fell 102 points behind the top following the first seven rounds. The gap has since shrunk: after 13 events, Marquez is only 19 points off the lead. Jorge Martin leads the standings on 256 points, with Marquez second on 237 and Marco Bezzecchi third on 232. Bezzecchi’s position has been shaped by an early lead that slipped away before the summer break, with crashes and controversy costing him ground.

Domenicali believes Marquez’s biggest rivals for the title are the works Aprilia riders Martin and Bezzecchi, and he also suggested the fight could extend to the season finale at Valencia in round 21 on November 27-29. “Three months ago, this world championship seemed irretrievably lost,” Domenicali said, adding that the outlook is now different and that the championship is “very wide open.” He noted that Ducati are not starting from a position of advantage, explaining that when a team is already ahead it is easier to manage the points, but that the current situation is still compelling because the battle is ongoing.

A central theme in Domenicali’s message is how Marquez manages his energy while his right arm remains compromised. The Ducati boss wants Marquez to “push less” during practice sessions, specifically to conserve strength for Saturday and Sunday. He said Marquez “still has a problem,” that he has recovered part of it, but that another part is “very difficult,” and that Marquez needs to work in a targeted way over the weekend. Domenicali’s instruction was clear: Marquez should try to push less on Friday to save his strength for the race days.

Marquez’s injury management has been closely tied to his ability to ride at full capacity. He had tried to keep his condition from Ducati, but was eventually forced to acknowledge the extent of the issue. After a Sprint Race crash at Le Mans, he brought forward an operation to remove bent screws, and he later admitted he was riding with “one and a half arms.” Even when he has bounced back, the limitations have shown up at specific moments and circuits.

Domenicali pointed to Marquez’s ongoing lack of control over his right side, referencing Marquez’s own admission that he had “no control” over his right arm at Silverstone. That difficult weekend ended with Marquez finishing seventh. However, Marquez responded strongly afterward, returning to form at MotorLand Aragon where he won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix—his “double” at his home venue. Those victories put him back above Bezzecchi in the standings and reduced Martin’s advantage.

The CEO also referenced the physical demands of certain tracks and how Marquez has had to sacrifice races in 2026 because of his injury situation. He missed the Italian Grand Prix, Ducati’s home round, after returning from surgery at Mugello. Later, he also had to take a safer approach at Assen and Silverstone, where the high-speed changes of direction are described as too physical for him.

While Marquez has remained dominant in left-hand corners, the sources note that his right-shoulder history—seven surgeries since 2019—appears to be weighing on him more than before. The reported observation is that his “powers are depleted,” with particular difficulty in right-hand turns even during the Aragon weekend.

With the points gap now manageable and Domenicali urging more careful practice management, Ducati’s message is that Marquez’s title chances depend not only on speed, but on protecting his remaining strength as the season heads toward a potentially dramatic end.