Alex Marquez Tests Ducati Revival at Le Mans

Alex Marquez believes the French Grand Prix at Le Mans will mark the beginning of three crucial races to determine whether his resurgence with Gresini Racing and Ducati is genuinely sustainable during the 2026 MotoGP season.

The Spaniard arrives at Le Mans after ending Ducati’s victory drought this season with an important win at Jerez, where he defeated Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia.

The victory represented a major turnaround after Alex Marquez struggled to consistently challenge for podiums during the opening three rounds of the championship. He now views Le Mans, Catalunya, and Mugello as the key tests to understand whether the Jerez performance truly reflects Ducati’s new competitive level.

Baca JugaAlex Marquez Uji Kebangkitan Ducati di Le Mans

“We will have three really important weekends,” Alex Marquez explained.

From a technical perspective, Marquez revealed the main weakness of the GP26 earlier in the season involved braking performance. He felt the bike was extremely difficult to stop consistently at the correct braking points, heavily affecting both race rhythm and lap-time consistency.

The issue was further amplified by Marquez’s natural riding style, which initially did not suit the early characteristics of the GP26. Compared to last year’s GP24, he admitted he was losing significantly more time during corner entry and braking phases.

However, setup changes and development work introduced during the Jerez test appear to have delivered positive improvements. Marquez now feels the bike has regained characteristics much closer to the GP24, particularly regarding front-end balance and corner entry confidence.

“Since Jerez we have recovered a feeling similar to last year,” he explained.

The improvement has allowed Alex Marquez to maximise the areas that traditionally represent his strongest qualities, including traction, apex speed, and acceleration stability. Those factors became critical elements behind his breakthrough victory at Jerez.

Nevertheless, Marquez stressed Ducati still requires confirmation across circuits with very different layouts. Le Mans is considered an especially important evaluation because its stop-and-go configuration and unpredictable weather conditions create unique demands on bike balance.

The momentum gained from the Jerez test has also provided a major morale boost for both Gresini and Ducati after a difficult start to the season. Marquez now believes both he and Ducati are beginning to return to the competitive level that initially appeared missing earlier in 2026.

“It looks like we are back, but there are still many things to confirm,” Alex Marquez admitted.

With Ducati still searching for complete stability from the GP26 package and Alex Marquez finally rediscovering his confidence on the bike, the next three races are now being viewed as a defining phase in determining whether the Jerez victory was simply a temporary breakthrough or the genuine beginning of Ducati’s MotoGP 2026 revival.