Doohan extols Marc Marquez but points finger at Ducati
Five-time world champion Mick Doohan in an interview with Marca applauded Marc Marquez for winning the title in 2025 and for what he’s been showing since his arrival at Ducati: “The way he’s been able to recover from the injury…it’s incredible. I would love to see him win a 10th title. Of course, he deserves it. Only Marc knows what he went through and how difficult that process was.”
According to Doohan, Marquez first had to win the fight against himself: “He definitely had a lot of dark days … doubting himself. He did it, and that shows what kind of champion he is. He stayed focused on coming back to dominate.”
The 2026 World Championship, however, began with a dominant Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi: “There are always two or three different riders capable of winning. But I’m not sure if Aprilia has taken a big step forward or if Ducati has lost ground. If the VR46 bikes are performing better than the factory ones, who has led the development?” is the question being asked by the former Australian centaur.
Doohan also praised another talent like Pedro Acosta, (“He’s incredible”) and Jorge Martin’s return to victory after quite some time: “He’s a down-to-earth guy … and extremely fast. I expect him to fight for the championship. Everything is going great for him…except that he has to practice his cheers.”
Echoing Doohan’s words are several former MotoGP stars. Andrea Dovizioso, a three-time runner-up world champion and Marquez’s historic rival between 2017 and 2019, made an alarming assessment to the microphones of Moto.it: “Marc is not one to complain and he is not one to make excuses. So the truth of how he is put and how many problems he has is not known.”
The former Forlì rider went further, adding bluntly that “his situation in my opinion is much more serious than it seems,” pointing out that the 2025 Mandalika crash probably aggravated the already existing physical limitations in his right arm. Also on the same wavelength is Carlos Checa, former champion and now DAZN commentator: “I think the problem is the physical condition, because I’ve never seen Marc here at COTA in such difficulty. Something is happening to him.”
