Reassured by his shoulder, Marc Márquez continues his preparation

Having suffered a fractured shoulder in a collision with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) in Indonesia last October, Marc Márquez had ruled himself out for the rest of the season. MotoGP And during the Valencia tests, he had already secured another world title. It was therefore in Sepang, Malaysia, this Tuesday that the Spanish rider was able to discover the Ducati Demosedici GP26 with which he will compete in the upcoming season.

This initial contact also aimed to validate his return after various surgeries this winter. This objective was clearly achieved, as Márquez simply set the fastest time on the first day of testing, less than two hundredths of a second off the pole position time set by his teammate Francesco Bagnaia at the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix.

"The morning was rather tricky; I felt a bit strange. It delayed us a little in what we needed to try because I told the team I needed some laps to feel comfortable."Marc Márquez explained to the official MotoGP website. “In the afternoon, we tried some things aerodynamically, as I felt more comfortable on the bike. I was in good physical condition; it's the first day, so I was fresh, which is also why I pushed hard at the end of the day. We'll see how I feel on Wednesday morning; the idea is to survive these tests and continue to prepare well for the start of the season in Thailand.”

Quick off the mark, the Cervera native didn't try to push himself too hard on this first day back. Short outings allowed him to avoid putting too much strain on his shoulder, and he can therefore continue his base training over the next two days. “I’ve learned in recent years that if I feel good physically, speed comes naturally. Today, I felt I had the rhythm, which is normal on the first day because you’re always fresher. It’s true that I only did short runs of two or three laps, because I simply wanted to keep my shoulder in good shape for the coming days.”

Marc Márquez was nevertheless able to test the new aerodynamic package brought by Ducati for these Sepang tests. The Spaniard knows he must quickly determine how this new package feels to him, since after the Buriram tests (February 21-22), the aerodynamic choice for the 2026 season must be finalized, with the possibility of only one upgrade during the season.

“We can feel a big change in the aerodynamics. When you're a rider, you have to be very patient with aerodynamics, because it drastically changes the bike's balance. We need to keep working on it, and it will be important to choose the right package. The tests in Thailand and the first Grand Prix will be very close together, so we'll have to carefully consider the choices we make.”

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