Marc Marquez opens up about physical struggles ahead of 2026 MotoGP season

10:30, 29 Jan

byAndrew McLarney

Marc Marquez has emphasized the difficulty of his physical recovery following an injury at the tail-end of last season, stating that his performance "can drop off a lot" while training for consecutive days.

Following an impressive 2025 campaign which saw "The Ant" reclaim his spot at the top of the MotoGP pecking order, the now nine-time world champion has been cautious yet ambitious ahead of the 2026 season opener in Thailand.

Speaking with Spanish media following the presentation of Ducati's new GP26, Marquez gave an update on his training and recovery.

"I can pilot very well at a normal level for one day, but then on the second day I drop off a lot." said the Spanish rider.

"I anticipate that in Malaysia, I'll feel great on the first day, but Malaysia is a tough test for everyone, and the hardest thing to control is the transition from the first day to the second. Even just going to the gym two days in a row, on the second day, I can't perform well - something I managed to achieve last year."

The gloomy comments follow Marquez's recent hint at retirement, in which he stated that his body would give out before his mind in terms of deciding when to hang up the gloves.

Nonetheless, the reigning world champion has still retained his ambition and optimism ahead of the 2026 season and has set his sights on retaining his crown.

"We must fight for the title one more time," he said. "For this result I'm working a lot this winter, trying to be better, trying to recover in a good way and yeah, we are in a process. Yeah, the target is to fight for the world championship."