MELANDRI SAYS MARQUEZ’S EFFORTLESS STYLE IS THE HARDEST BLOW FOR BAGNAIA

Marco Melandri believes Marc Marquez’s effortless-looking riding has become the most painful part of Francesco Bagnaia’s difficult season as Ducati teammates.

Bagnaia finished 13th at the Malaysian Grand Prix, more than 32 seconds behind race winner Marquez. The gap amounted to over 1.5 seconds per lap, underlining the contrasting form of the two factory Ducati riders on the GP26. The result was especially disappointing for Bagnaia, who had described the weekend as his “most concrete opportunity” to achieve a strong result before leaving Ducati.

Marquez’s Sepang victory was his 16th win of the 2026 season across Grands Prix and Sprints. Bagnaia, by contrast, has managed one victory, in the Brno Sprint. With Marquez now approaching his first chance to secure the riders’ title in Qatar, Melandri said the Spaniard’s apparent ease makes the comparison particularly hard for his teammate.

“The simplicity with which Marquez does things – that’s the real knockout blow,” Melandri said on the Chiacchiere da Box podcast. He pointed to Marquez’s movement on the bike, saying that although he moves a lot, he does so infrequently and is “always in the right place at the right time.” Melandri also praised his fluidity when releasing the brakes and opening the throttle. Compared with Marquez a decade ago, he said, the rider can appear to be “just out for a leisurely ride,” while remaining exceptionally effective.

Melandri expressed sympathy for Bagnaia and hopes the two-time world champion can recover before his Ducati departure. “It’s only right that a champion like him should be able to finish his career on a high – it’s just so sad to see him like this,” he said. He added that seeing a rider arrive at races looking unhappy is troubling in a sport that many dream of pursuing from childhood.

Bagnaia is expected to treat his move to Aprilia next season as a fresh start after a difficult end to his Ducati tenure. Three rounds remain in 2026, however, giving him further opportunities to leave the team on a stronger note.