Alex Marquez couldn't hide his frustration. The Gresini Racing rider described the Ducati as nothing like the bike he usually rides, after crashing out of the 2026 Austrian MotoGP. For Marquez, the Red Bull Ring weekend was a truly strange experience.
The Red Bull Ring has long been a Ducati stronghold. Since the track joined the MotoGP calendar in 2016, the Bologna factory had been beaten there only twice before this year. The last defeat came in 2021's mixed conditions at the Styrian Grand Prix. But this season, that dominance vanished. Aprilia dominated with Jorge Martin in the Sprint and three riders in the main race: Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, and Ai Ogura. Add Pedro Acosta's maiden win for KTM, and Ducati had to accept no podium for the first time since 2016.
“I mean, quite surprised to suffer like this here,” Marquez said. “But from FP1, we were seeing what happened. Something really strange. The bike was not like the one that we know. It changed a lot with the casing – also happened to us this in Thailand. We can't use the grip from this rear tyre, and we lose a lot in that part – in traction part especially.”
Marquez revealed that the same rear tyre construction will be used at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October. He predicted Ducati would face similar challenges at Mandalika. “It's similar,” he said. “And there the grip level from the layout also is higher than here. So, it will be like this. Last year, Fermin [Aldeguer] won, I was on the podium, so hopeful to be good there and to struggle less. But there, the Aprilia last year already we were flying with Bezzecchi especially. So, it will be difficult, but we'll try our best, and for sure Ducati will work a lot.”
Marquez's Austrian race ended early when he crashed at Turn 2a while being passed by Raul Fernandez. His start was decent, but he lost many positions in the first corner. “The start was not bad, but later on I did not attack in the first corner enough,” he explained. “Later on, I was a little bit there in the middle, fighting there, and I lose a lot of positions. I passed [the start-finish line] 14th, I think. I had the alarm of hot brakes, hot engine, everything, but I say ‘Okay, I try, I’m 14th, 13th, so I will not lose a lot if I crash’. So in that moment I start to go, and then in a fight with Raul. We were in parallel, I was a little bit on the dirty zone, and then I lose the front, but nothing to say. Just sorry to the team because I did too many mistakes during this weekend, and I was not able to over-ride on the problems that we had on the Ducati.”
Marquez's disappointment reflects just how off-course Ducati currently is. The change in the bike's character due to the tyre has robbed them of the traction advantage that was once their main weapon. Meanwhile, Aprilia and KTM are looking increasingly competitive. Acosta's win signals that this season's battle will be much tighter. Ducati must find a solution quickly, especially with different track characteristics like Mandalika looming as the next test.
Baca Juga
Toprak Razgatlioglu dan Jack Miller finis di posisi terakhir MotoGP Austria 2026. Pramac alami masalah grip belakang yang parah sepanjang balapan.
Pedro Acosta raih kemenangan perdana MotoGP di Austria 2026. Marc Marquez anggapnya penantang gelar. Simak analisis dan perebutan juara.
Pol Espargaro penasaran dengan performa KTM 850cc di tes MotoGP Austria. Simak analisis lengkap dan persiapan Honda jelang debut motor 2027.
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