– Marc Marquez is one of the riders who interests Kenny Roberts the most in modern MotoGP. The three-time 500cc world champion, who won three consecutive titles between 1978 and 1980, especially appreciates the uncompromising way Marquez rides a racing motorcycle.
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At the same time, the US legend sees a problem with the current Ducati rider: in his assessment, the motorcycle does not fully harmonize with Marquez’s riding style.
“I like Marquez because he is very aggressive. He is probably the rider I follow the most,” Roberts explains in the podcast Pipe Dreams. However, his enthusiasm for the current champion is not unconditional. “I don’t like all the mistakes he makes, but they belong to his aggressive style.”
Marquez not in harmony with the Ducati?
Especially when looking at Marquez’s current equipment, Roberts makes a remarkable statement. In his opinion, the Spaniard has not yet developed the same natural connection to his Ducati that he once had with his Honda.
“He never really seemed comfortable on this motorcycle to me, not like in the early years on the Honda,” says Roberts. The decisive factor is not necessarily the fundamental performance capability of the Ducati, but the question of whether its character fits the rider’s special abilities.
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Because Marquez, according to Roberts, rides differently than his competitors. “His riding style differs from all the others, and I think he needs a motorcycle built for this style. I don’t think he has this motorcycle at the moment.”
With this, Roberts shifts the focus away from the often-discussed question of whether Marquez is still riding at the level of previous years. Instead, he emphasizes the technical adaptation of the motorcycle to the rider. For a rider with such an individual style, a compromise can be problematic.
“Do you develop the bike for everyone or for him?”
Roberts knows this dilemma from his own experience. During his active career, the American also struggled with motorcycles whose ergonomics did not fit his stature. Some machines were simply too long for him. “I had to ride like everyone else, but I am small, and this position did not feel natural to me,” he recalls.
From this experience, he derives a fundamental technical philosophy. If a rider has extraordinary characteristics, one should not only try to build a universally usable motorcycle during development.
“What do you do? Do you develop the motorcycle for everyone or for him? Obviously, you have to develop it for him,” is Roberts’ clear answer to this question.
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Because Marquez has been known for years to ride a motorcycle in a way that differs from many of his competitors and even direct teammates. Especially his aggressive corner entry, the intensive use of the front axle, and his ability to still control the motorcycle with his saves even in unusual situations have shaped the style of the 33-year-old.
Roberts’ own experience shapes his perspective
Roberts apparently sees a strength in this that can be limited by a motorcycle that does not fit perfectly. During his career, he always placed great importance on judging a motorcycle not only by technical figures but by how it actually feels on the track.
“I am not an engineer,” Roberts says in retrospect. Although he has always been interested in why a change on a motorcycle works or not. His engineers then technically implemented many of his ideas.
He repeatedly experienced that theoretically convincing solutions do not automatically work on the track. “Engineering work alone does not get the motorcycle moving. You need someone who rides it and says: That doesn’t work,” knows the three-time MotoGP world champion.
Therefore, Roberts is not keen on focusing exclusively on peak performance. A motorcycle can deliver excellent values on the test bench and still not function optimally in handling for a particular rider.
For an exceptional rider like Marquez, development must therefore be more focused on his individual needs and not the other way around.
Season 2026 with ups and downs for Marquez
Roberts’ assessment comes at a time when Marquez is indeed not showing the same dominance as in his outstanding 2025 season. At the British Grand Prix in early August, the Ducati factory rider had to settle for seventh place after already finishing ninth in the sprint.
Marquez himself attributed the difficulties, among other things, to a lack of pace and tire problems and emphasized that he saw no reason to panic. At the same time, the Spaniard continues to fight for the world championship in 2026. His deficit to the current leader Jorge Martin is 40 points.
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