Marc Marquez Confused by Ducati Performance

MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Marc Marquez admitted he does not fully understand how he is currently riding after securing a front-row start for the 2026 French MotoGP at Le Mans despite continuing struggles with the Ducati Lenovo Team package.

The reigning world champion qualified just 0.012 seconds behind team-mate Francesco Bagnaia in a closely fought pole position battle. However, despite the strong result, Marquez openly admitted concerns over his lack of consistency throughout the Le Mans weekend.

On Friday, Marquez failed to progress directly into Q2 after struggling heavily with front-end feeling on the GP26 Ducati. He appeared unable to match the race pace consistency shown by Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

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Despite those problems, Marquez suddenly found major pace in Q1 by setting a new Le Mans lap record with a 1m29.2s before remaining competitive again in Q2. The Spaniard admitted the situation left him confused because the base setup of the bike had barely changed.

“I’m in a moment where I don’t understand how I’m riding right now. And it’s a problem,” Marquez said.

“I’m laughing, but it’s a real problem because I need to understand how I can be fast like today and in previous races. The issue is that I cannot be consistent.”

From a technical perspective, Ducati still appears to be struggling to fully resolve the GP26’s balance issues, particularly during corner entry and front-end stability. That weakness has become one of the key reasons behind Marquez’s inconsistent performances during the opening phase of the 2026 season.

Marquez insisted the one-second improvement compared to practice was not linked to major setup changes. According to the Spaniard, Ducati only made minor adjustments while the fundamental characteristics of the bike remained unchanged.

“I don’t know how I improved by one second today because the bike is more or less the same. The team worked hard, but the base setup remains similar. So the issue is with myself, and that’s what we need to understand over the next weeks.”

The situation is becoming a serious concern for Ducati as Marquez still remains without a grand prix podium in 2026 despite already securing two Sprint Race victories. His inability to consistently extract performance from the GP26 is now emerging as a major obstacle in his title defence.

Marquez also played down expectations ahead of the Le Mans Sprint Race. Despite starting from the front row, he admitted his overall race pace still appears weaker than Bagnaia and several direct rivals.

“If you check the free practice pace, I’m fighting around eighth or tenth position. So honestly, I don’t know what to expect from the Sprint.”

Le Mans has become an important weekend for Ducati as the Italian manufacturer continues evaluating several new components introduced following the post-race Jerez test.