Dovizioso suggests Marquez’s issues may be worse than expected
· Yahoo Sports
Marc Marquez is still searching for form with Ducati after a rough start to the 2026 season, and Andrea Dovizioso believes the Spaniard’s issues are more serious than they appear.
The 33-year-old is working his way back from surgery on a right shoulder injury he picked up last October in Indonesia. Recovery kept him off the bike over winter, and he didn’t return to testing until February. Even now, Marquez is still dealing with the after-effects.
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Marquez struggled again last time out in Texas and was open about it afterward, saying “it’s me, not the bike.”
Dovizioso shares concerns over Marquez’s early struggles
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty ImagesReflecting on his own history of injuries in MotoGP, Dovizioso knows how tough it can be for riders to return to their best. He worries that Marquez’s slow start may be down to more than just physical limitations.
Dovizioso told Motorsport: “I think we don’t know what really happens when you see a champion like this losing many seconds per lap [or] finishing two races at 23 seconds [off].”
“Yes. I mean normally he was struggling at some tracks but when you see this it looks like there is something much bigger behind that.”
Andrea Dovizioso believes Marc Marquez’s shoulder injury is more serious than people think
Marquez picked up a long lap penalty for the main race in Austin after that crash with Di Giannantonio. It dropped him from seventh to 11th, though he still managed to finish fifth in the end. He’d also gone down hard during FP1 earlier in the weekend and only started sixth on the grid.
Dovizioso told Moto.it: “Marc isn’t one to complain, and he’s never made excuses. So, the truth about his situation and how many problems he has, especially those who don’t support him, have never really taken him seriously.
“But his situation, in my opinion, is much more serious than it seems. Last year he managed to win a championship, certainly not at 100%. He’s a long way off.
Marquez has acknowledged how much his shoulder issues are holding him back with the GP26 this season. Speaking to team manager Davide Tardozzi after Texas, Marquez said it’s “critical” for him to get good starts if he wants any chance of contending for wins this year.
Before his practice crash at COTA, Alex Barros had already suggested that Marquez might need another six months before feeling fully healed because the final bit of recovery is always toughest. The crash itself left Marquez questioning whether he even wanted to get back on track immediately.
The fall came over COTA’s Turn 10 hill where he slid into the barriers during Friday practice. Reflecting afterwards, Marquez said: “After a fall like that I didn’t feel like going back on track.” But after taking some time to regroup mentally, he did head back out later in the session.
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