One of the big stories of the opening three rounds of the season has been the recovery and fitness of Marc Marquez. After being taken out by Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi at last year's Indonesian Grand Prix, Marquez was sidelined for the final four rounds, but still managed to comfortably win the world title ahead of his brother.

However, the crash in Mandalika seems to have had lingering effects at the start of 2026. Marquez has been competitive but not up to the standards everyone has come to expect. While the dip in form is by no means disastrous, it has led many to speculate about his future in the sport, particularly with new retirement hints dropping seemingly every week.

Despite the insistence from Ducati's lead engineer Gigi Dall'Igna that Marquez is very much back to 100% fitness, today's media scrum in Jerez revealed a different picture:

The large abrasion on Marquez's forearm still hasn't fully healed, which may be a concern for Ducati going into the race weekend. Marquez cannot afford to sustain further injuries at this early stage of the season, particularly when rivals Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi are in such good form.

The first European round of the 2026 season is set to take place at the iconic Circuito de Jerez in Andalusia this weekend in what promises to be a crucial battle in the MotoGP World Championship. Find the full schedule, as well as start times, qualifying and everything else here.