Marc Marquez glimpses “main rivals” in “tougher” MotoGP season

Marc Marquez has warned "we need to improve" to fight for the championship throughout a “tougher” 2026 MotoGP season, as the opening Thai round also offered an early glimpse of his main rivals.

The reigning champion enjoyed a dream weekend at Buriram in 2025, winning both races from pole position on his factory Ducati debut.

But his title defence began in far more complicated fashion.

Still recovering from last October's shoulder surgery, Marquez also endured a disrupted final pre-season test at the same Buriram circuit due to illness and a spate of accidents.

“It has been a tough pre-season. Rehabilitation from an injury is never easy, but especially on this right arm, it takes more time than usual,” Marc Marquez said in an interview with sponsor Estrella Galicia 0,0.

“It was a long winter, but at the same time a short winter, because there was not enough time to arrive at 100% for the first race.”

The Spaniard also admits he is still learning what '100%' will be after the latest injury.

“I still need to understand well what is my 100%, because with every injury, your 100% drops a bit,” he said. “Sometimes it drops 1%, sometimes 10%. But I believe we still have margin to improve.”

Whatever his present level, Marquez was fast enough to fight for pole position, losing out to Marco Bezzecchi by just 0.035s. 

Marquez then looked on course to claim a Sprint win when the Aprilia rider crashed out.

However, Pedro Acosta had other ideas, taking the fight to Marquez until a late penalty forced the Ducati rider to hand victory to the KTM.

By Sunday, the physical strain of the weekend was taking its toll, and Marquez opted for a “conservative” approach to the grand prix.

“On Sunday, I understood that I was not feeling well about my physical condition,” he said.

“When I don't feel well, it doesn't mean that I'm slower. It means that with the same speed, I'm a bit more unsafe.

“So I decided to approach the race in a more conservative way, and just try to finish the race.”

"We need to improve a bit more if we want to fight for the championship"

Marquez was still the top Ducati and chasing down a podium finish when he suffered major rear wheel rim damage after hitting a kerb with five laps remaining.

The retirement left him with just nine points from the opening round, compared with last year's perfect 37-point total.

Meanwhile, Bezzecchi went on to claim a dominant victory, while Acosta secured second place and the early championship lead.

“Of course, the target is to try to fight for the title,” Marquez said.

“But what I already imagined and predicted before the first race is that this season will be more tough and more close than last year.

“It’s a normal thing in competition. What is not normal is to win the championship with five races to go [like last year].

“We did a good job during the winter, but still we need to improve a bit more if we want to fight for the championship until the end.

“Every tenth of a second counts, so we’ll try to take a step forward in the next races and see - although I’ve already seen a bit - who the main rivals will be.

“Bezzecchi will be very strong throughout the season, and Acosta looked very good on the bike. And of course, we can’t forget Alex [Marquez] and Pecco [Bagnaia], who will also be very fast.”

Following Marquez’s retirement, Fabio di Giannantonio finished as the leading Ducati rider in sixth place.

Round two will be the inaugural MotoGP event at Goiania, Brazil, next weekend.