Marc Marquez has turned a season marked by physical problems into a serious bid for an eighth MotoGP title. After the Malaysian race, he led Marco Bezzecchi by 67 points with three races remaining. The scale of that advantage is clearer in context: around the middle of the season, Marquez had been 102 points behind his rival.

Ducati Lenovo Team manager Davide Tardozzi said Marquez is still short of full physical fitness. His right shoulder, right side and arm are not at 100 per cent, Tardozzi explained, but the rider compensates through intelligence, concentration and hard work. Tardozzi also singled out Marquez’s commitment to training, gym sessions and riding road bikes on a small circuit as an unusually intense daily routine.

The long route back to the top of the standings

Marquez’s physical burden can be traced back to his 2013 crash at Silverstone, where he dislocated a shoulder. He later underwent surgery on the left shoulder in 2018 and another operation in the winter of 2019. The humerus fracture he suffered in 2020 still affects him six years later. A crash in Indonesia last year involving Bezzecchi caused further, more complicated shoulder injuries.

A nerve problem emerged during the first part of 2026 and was only resolved after Marquez broke his foot at Le Mans, prompting a planned operation to be moved forward by a week. Since his return at Mugello, his form has alternated between outstanding speed and worrying lapses away from the pace. Even so, all seven of his podiums this season have been victories. Marquez has changed his riding style without giving up his focus on winning, and Tardozzi said the team is proud of the work delivered by its engineers, the wider operation and the rider himself.