MotoGP, Ducati: The Unpredictable Factor Worries Marc Marquez
MotoGP arrives in Austria with one certainty and one question mark, both concerning the same rider, Marc Marquez. On the one hand, the Catalan rider has not only regained his smile and victories but also the lead in the World Championship standings after Misano. On the other hand, however, the Red Bull Ring is a track that is perhaps… too favorable to Ducati and, paradoxically, treacherous for number 93. The risk, in this sense, is that the competition will come not only from Aprilia—his main rivals, Jorge Martin and Marzo Bezzecchi—but also from the Desmosedici riders themselves.
Marquez certainly has no shortage of experience on a track where he triumphed in 2025, but Spielberg is a unique challenge, given that Ducati has won at the Austrian circuit even in more difficult years, and the internal competition—starting with Alex Marquez (second at Misano) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (eager for redemption after a slump), is quite strong and risks costing him crucial points in a championship where Marc is tied with Martin at 174 points.
Marquez arrives in Austria feeling like he’s the strongest rider right now, while Martin continues to rack up results that are no longer enough, and Bezzecchi needs to bounce back after his devastating zero-point finish at Misano. For both Aprilia riders, they need a weekend radically different from the one in Romagna; otherwise, the gap risks becoming irreversible.
On the internal competition front, however, a new chapter must be opened regarding Pecco Bagnaia’s slump: the Piedmontese rider has failed to score points in the last three race weekends, and the off-track incident involving him and Di Giannantonio has exacerbated the internal crisis within the Ducati team. It cannot be ruled out, however, that a track favorable to the Borgo Panigale bike could also help Pecco, a three-time winner in Austria between 2022 and 2024: the three-time world champion wouldn’t miss the chance to secure a significant result, even if it meant snatching it from his teammate.
