Alex Marquez made no attempt to hide his frustration after the Austrian MotoGP Sprint at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday (19/9/2026). Despite finishing fifth, the Gresini rider described the weekend as 'zero fun' due to the rear grip issues that continue to plague Ducati.
"Suffering is the word of our weekend," Alex said. "Suffering and difficult to understand things, but the feeling is similar to what we had already at the beginning of the season in Thailand."
Alex finished as the second-best Ducati behind his older brother, Marc Marquez, who finished second. However, this was Alex's worst race result since crashing at July's German Grand Prix. The problem is familiar: Ducati struggling for rear grip with the harder-construction tyre last used at the Buriram opener.
"We have the same tyres, so it looks like that is not helping us too much," Alex explained. "We need to keep working. We are finding a few things step-by-step, but not enough to be with the Aprilias especially, and the KTM of Pedro."
Alex believes Aprilia's ability to carry more corner speed means the RS-GP is less dependent on rear traction when grip is reduced by the stiffer, heat-resistant tyre construction. "Looks like maybe we have a bike that is more stop-and-go, so we depend more on having good rear grip. And Aprilia can carry more speed on the apex, and be a little bit smoother on the throttle," he explained.
He also highlighted the difference in bike character. "Different bikes, but we are trying to solve this problem because this casing we'll have again in Malaysia, I think. Indonesia is a little bit different, but also very similar."
Asked how much fun it was to ride in those circumstances, Alex replied bluntly: "Zero! And I feel so bad on the bike. Like, okay, I was speaking with myself today, in the qualifying: I said, 'Do you know how to ride or what, Alex?' You know? It's difficult to understand and difficult to enjoy like this. I mean, on the bike, you only just enjoy when you are fast. When somebody is faster than you, then you suffer. So most of the time you are suffering!"
As well as the rear-grip issues, Marquez's weekend has been interrupted by two fast practice crashes. Team-mate Fermin Aldeguer, who was also on the podium in Austria last season, finished eighth in the Sprint. This result serves as a warning for Ducati ahead of Sunday's main race, where they must quickly find a solution if they want to remain competitive on a track that demands high traction.
Read Also
Fabio Di Giannantonio struggles with rear grip in Austrian MotoGP Sprint, calls it 'completely unusual'. He aims to rebound in Sunday's race.
Pecco Bagnaia credits Dani Pedrosa's advice on focusing on understanding the bike for helping him in the Austrian MotoGP sprint. Bagnaia finished sixth on the medium tyre.
Francesco Bagnaia proposes using sprint race fastest laps to set MotoGP grids from 2027. A radical idea to cut qualifying sessions and improve rider safety.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!