Marc Marquez spent much of the 2026 MotoGP season racing through a serious shoulder injury that had not fully healed since his major crash at last year’s Indonesian Grand Prix. The situation became public after the Ducati rider underwent double surgery following the French Grand Prix, including an additional procedure to address the persistent problem in his right shoulder.
The injury originated from the heavy accident Marquez suffered at Mandalika in October, which caused complex damage to his right shoulder and forced him to miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign. However, the issue continued into 2026 after a piece of metalwork from the previous surgery reportedly began affecting the radial nerve in his right arm.
The extent of the problem was only revealed after Marquez fractured his foot during the sprint race at Le Mans last weekend. Ducati later confirmed the Spaniard underwent surgery on both injuries simultaneously. Despite failing to secure a grand prix podium so far this season, Marquez still managed to claim two sprint victories and set a new lap record while progressing through Q1 at the French Grand Prix.
Gigi Dall’Igna believes Marquez’s performances under those physical conditions further demonstrate the extraordinary level of talent possessed by the eight-time world champion.
“The disclosure of Marc’s upcoming shoulder surgery, which had previously been scheduled for after Barcelona, further highlights his overwhelming talent considering his performances so far. His incredible new lap record at Le Mans becomes even more extraordinary,” said Dall’Igna.
Marquez’s physical condition is also believed to have affected his overall consistency during the opening phase of the season. Ducati repeatedly observed difficulties in maintaining maximum intensity across full race distance, particularly in low-grip conditions and during aggressive direction changes. However, Marquez’s continued ability to deliver exceptional one-lap pace showed that his physical limitations had not completely reduced his trademark aggression and riding precision.
At the same time, Ducati is facing growing technical pressure following the recent dominance of Aprilia Racing. Le Mans became a significant setback after Aprilia secured a historic 1-2-3 finish, while Francesco Bagnaia crashed out and Ducati’s best result came from Fabio Di Giannantonio in fourth place.
Dall’Igna nevertheless attempted to maintain a positive outlook heading into the Catalan Grand Prix despite Ducati losing Marquez for the Barcelona round. According to the Ducati technical chief, the biggest challenge now is maintaining motivation inside the team while accelerating development work on the GP26 package to close the gap to Aprilia.
Marquez’s absence is expected to represent a major disadvantage for Ducati, especially at a circuit like Barcelona-Catalunya where braking stability and front-end precision are critical strengths of the Spanish rider. Ducati is now hoping his recovery progresses smoothly so he can return at Mugello later this month and keep his MotoGP title ambitions alive in 2026.
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