Marquez is hoping that he will be fully fit in time for the 2026 season, where he will have a chance of winning his eighth MotoGP title
Marc Marquez has revealed he is “feeling better and better” ahead of MotoGP pre-season testing, but admitted he will only be close to full fitness by the opening race in Thailand.
The reigning world champion endured a “long and tough winter” after a crash caused by Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi at the Indonesian Grand Prix, which left him with a broken right shoulder.
After flying back to Spain, he eventually decided to undergo surgery and spent the remainder of the year on the sidelines, missing the final four rounds of the 2026 season.
Speaking at the launch of Ducati’s 2026 MotoGP bike in Madonna di Campiglio, the 32-year-old revealed that he had made plenty of progress with his right shoulder, but the recovery hasn’t been linear.
"If you asked me [about my health] two weeks ago, I would say so-so,” he told the media including Motorsport.com.
“But as with every recovery or rehabilitation, we have some ups and downs, and now I start to feel better and better.
“I don't know what percentage I am [at in terms of recovery], because I don't know what will be my 100% - I think it will be the same as before - but I need to analyse this and try to discover it.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
"It was a long winter and a tough winter from the mental side because of a lot of physiotherapy sessions, a lot of gym sessions with low weight.
“But step by step, I'm feeling better now. I can say to you that in Thailand I will be close to my 100%. This was the target and I think we will achieve it.”
After spending more than two months without riding a motorcycle of any kind, Marquez returned to action on a dirt bike in late December to continue his recovery.
Since then, he completed several laps on the Ducati Panigale at the Apar track in Valencia, but he will have to wait until the Sepang test on 3-5 February to ride a MotoGP bike again.
Based on the mileage he accumulated so far, Marquez believes endurance remains his main weakness, which he expects will become more evident the longer he rides during the Sepang test.
Asked what he is missing, the Spaniard replied: “Durability. For example, I can ride very well at a normal level one day, but then on the second day, I drop a lot.
“This means that we need to keep going with the work, and try to work on that long distance.
"I already predict that in Malaysia I will feel super good on the first day. [But] from the first day to the second one, or just to go two days in a row in the gym, I cannot perform in a good way on the second day - something that I achieved last year.
“Let’s see. We have one month and a half [to recover] and we are in a good way.”
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Despite lingering questions over his physical durability, Marquez stressed that his outright speed has not been lost.
“You never miss the speed,” he said. “Of course, in the first days when I rode, I was super stiff and I didn't have the speed.
“On a single lap I had the speed, if I want[ed], but not in a long distance. Now, step by step, I start to have the speed.
“It's what I understand with the last injury, if I feel my physical condition is well, the speed is there.
“For that reason, I was not worried about the Valencia test, I was not worried about missing the Valencia race. My weak point is my physical side, so if I take care of this, the speed is there.”
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Category: General Sports
