Aprilia still considers Marc Márquez a title threat

Can the 2025 world champion still defend his crown in 2026? For the Aprilia riders, the answer is yes. Injured and forced to withdraw from the Catalan Grand Prix, Marc Márquez is already seeing his championship deficit widen, a gap that could grow even further this weekend. Nevertheless, the reigning champion remains a serious threat to Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi.

As a reminder, during the French Grand Prix sprint, Márquez crashed heavily two laps from the finish while in seventh place. Landing on his right foot, the Spaniard left the track limping, before examinations revealed a fracture of the fifth metatarsal. This injury not only ruled him out of Sunday's race in France, but also the Catalan Grand Prix, which he was scheduled to contest on home soil.

Marc Márquez is still a concern for Aprilia

Despite this, the Aprilia riders refuse to underestimate number 93. Marco Bezzecchi, championship leader with a 71-point advantage over the Spaniard before the 6th meeting of the year, believes that Márquez has already proven in the past that he can come back from a great distance and still fight for the championship: “Last year, Marc won the championship by more than 100 points. He clinched the title in Japan, so five races before the end,” he reminded everyone at a press conference in Barcelona this Thursday. Personally, I never rule Marc out of the title fight. It's still very early in the season, so anything can happen. And for sure, when he comes back, Marc will be very motivated to win. So I think he can fight for the title.

Jorge Martín, second in the championship with a 70-point lead over number 93, shares this assessment. For him, Márquez has already shown that he knows how to bounce back after an injury, however serious it may be. "Therefore, we cannot underestimate it," He, in turn, is suspicious. I hope he recovers quickly and that he'll be back with us very soon.

Álex Márquez more measured

This response contrasts with that of Álex Márquez – the last rider questioned during the press conference – who was more cautious. Marc's younger brother pointed out that it would first be necessary to know when the seven-time champion of MotoGP will return, and in what condition. "From there, we can discuss whether he still has an option or not. So, I think at this stage, it's too early. I don't think he's thinking about the championship. He's mainly focused on recovering, and that's all."

The scenario of the 2017 season also remains a good argument against writing off the nine-time world champion too quickly. That season, Marc Márquez got off to a bad start. With a Honda that was difficult to tame, he let the competition pull away for a long time. After only one win in the first eight races and two retirements, he finally revived his campaign at the Sachsenring, before regaining the championship lead and going on to claim another title. This precedent likely fuels the Aprilia riders' wariness all the more.

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