Carlos Checa’s alarm
In Austin Marc Marquez has collected a total of 7 victories and many saw the COTA track as a potential turning point in the Spaniard’s season. This was not the case, as Marquez only qualified sixth, then finished the Sprint 17th after taking out the blameless Fabio Di Giannantonio and finally the Grand Prix in 5th place, after serving a Long Lap Penalty for the previous day’s accident.
In short, anything but a memorable weekend for the nine-time world champion.
In his commentary to Dazn Spain, former rider Carlos Checa showed all his concern for Marquez: “I have never seen Marc like this in Austin, not even with lower-level bikes. So something is wrong… Marc needs to find confidence again, it’s clear, he needs to rebuild himself within the limits he probably has today. All in all, his race was positive, he is on the right track.”
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Marquez, a difficult post-injury period
Five months have passed since the accident in which he was a blameless protagonist in Mandalika in October 2025, fresh from a world title won well in advance. But Marc Marquez has not hidden that he is not yet 100% physically, so much so that he points to himself as one of the shortcomings of this start of the season for Ducati. The Catalan champion revealed that he still has strength problems in his right arm, an aspect that he pays for most in the early stages of races.
Marc Marquez has not yet stepped onto the podium in this 2026 and his last victory dates back to September 2025 in Misano, over six months ago.
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