Dovizioso and Marquez’s limits
If there is a rider who managed to challenge and sometimes beat Marc Marquez in a sprint while in top form, it is certainly Andrea Dovizioso, who between 2016 and 2019 with his Ducati often gave a hard time to the duo formed by the Spaniard and his Honda.
After the Jerez 2020 accident, there have been multiple physical setbacks on Marquez’s path and the latest in chronological order, namely the Mandalika injury just after his 2025 world title victory, seems to still haunt the Spaniard five months after the ruinous fall.
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In an interesting interview given to colleagues at Moto.it, Dovizioso reflected on the physical condition of his historic rival: “Marc is not one to complain and he is not one who has ever made excuses. In my opinion, his situation is much more serious than it seems. Last year he managed to win a championship certainly not at his 100%, he is far from it. And perhaps with the fall in Indonesia he increased this limit in his arm even more, which I don’t think is possible to fix.”
The clear proof of this theory is that shared also by Carlos Checa, namely that a Marquez like this at COTA had never been seen. Dovizioso explains: “Austin was the definitive confirmation, in a place where he used to be able to make the difference, he couldn’t do it.”
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Marc cannot make the difference
Marc Marquez himself spoke about the difficulties he is experiencing with his right arm in this first phase of the season. The Spaniard explained that he does not feel the necessary strength in the limb and that this clearly limits him, especially in the early stages of the race. When explosiveness is needed, Marquez cannot push more than he is doing. The three-week break before the Jerez race (26 April) in this sense can only help the nine-time world champion.
