Alex Marquez is again struggling with his right shoulder at the Malaysian MotoGP. His physical condition is worse than he expected, but changes made with Gresini Racing to the motorcycle produced a much better picture during the afternoon at Sepang. Marquez remains focused on getting through the rest of the weekend.

The problem traces back to his Barcelona crash, when Marquez struck the rear of Pedro Acosta’s KTM after it slowed sharply. He had explained at Mandalika that the shoulder was less troublesome when he returned to racing at Assen, before the discomfort grew as the season progressed. The tight Asian schedule leaves riders only a few days to recover between events, allowing the physical strain to accumulate.

A better response after the adjustments

The morning session at Sepang was particularly difficult for Marquez, with the motorcycle behaving far differently from what he expected. He wanted to assess the situation properly once the soft rear tyre was fitted, while working with the team on the electronics and overall set-up. The changes paid off in the afternoon: the Gresini rider described his pace as not bad and continued evaluating possible solutions.

The shoulder causes most difficulty during direction changes, from Turn 1 to Turn 2 and from Turn 2 to Turn 3, as well as around Turns 5 and 6. It also affects Marquez at every braking point and through the fast section from Turn 12 to Turn 13. He expects the short runs and the Sprint to be manageable. Sunday’s main race, however, should be much harder as fatigue and pain increase. Marquez’s approach is to keep working patiently and give his best despite the discomfort.