Marc Marquez went to Valencia with the intention of ending the year on his bike, even after the surgery on the shoulder he suffered after the collision with Marco Bezequi in Indonesia. The Spaniard had removed the splint, was feeling better and, as he revealed in a Ducati video, asked the doctors directly if he could take part in the official MotoGP test.
The answer he received was clear and… impossible to implement. The doctors told him that he could only ride if he didn’t fall. “I can’t get on a bike thinking that I shouldn’t fall,” he said, explaining that this condition was contrary to the way a MotoGP rider should operate. So, he decided not to take part so as not to risk his recovery.
During his absence, there were reports that Marquez had “dislocated” a screw in his shoulder after a recent crash. He was quick to clarify that the problem stemmed from the big crash in 2020, stressing that this finding was not related to the injury in Indonesia. “Don’t worry about the screw. It’s something that’s been there since 2020,” he told his mechanics, laughing.
The winner of this year’s championship will be on Ducati’s saddle in 2026. In his speech at the awards ceremony, he stressed that his return to the top, five years after his serious injury, is a message that “you should never give up.” Márquez was replaced in the last races – and in the Valencia test – by Nicolo Boulegga, who will have an enhanced role in development tests and is on Ducati’s radar for a MotoGP race seat in 2027.
