– After Marc Marquez crashed on Sunday in the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez already on the second lap, thus recording a zero score directly the day after his sprint victory, he believes he made progress at the MotoGP test on Monday in Jerez.
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Among other things, a new fairing for the Desmosedici GP26 was tested at the Ducati factory team on Monday. A new swingarm, which was also faired, was also tried out. Marc Marquez completed a total of 78 laps during the day, placing himself P4 on the timesheet with his personal best time of 1:36.277 minutes, behind three Aprilia riders.
Having not yet found the optimal feeling for the GP26 in the previous race weekends of the 2026 season, Marquez speaks of initial progress after Monday’s test. “We focused on aerodynamics for most of the day, but at the same time, we also worked on the chassis. We had a few modifications, a few interesting things there,” said Marquez.
Thanks to new aero: Marc Marquez feels the front better
According to the 2025 MotoGP world champion, “it was important to regain the right feeling for the front tire. Because that’s the area where we struggled for long stretches of the season so far. As far as this area is concerned, we have made some steps. In addition, the aerodynamics were beneficial here and there for my riding style.”
In May, the 2026 MotoGP calendar features three Grands Prix: France (Le Mans), Catalonia (Barcelona), and Italy (Mugello). Immediately after the Catalan Grand Prix, there will be another Monday test where manufacturers can ideally further improve their current motorcycles before shifting focus to the new technical regulations for 2027 later in the year.
As for Marc Marquez, he hopes that some of the parts tested on Monday in Jerez will be used at race weekends as soon as possible. “Ducati is working extremely hard,” he says, emphasizing: “We had a lot of parts here at this test. I’m happy about that. It was a stressful but interesting test.”
“Now we have to evaluate all the parts and then decide when we will bring these innovations. In three weeks, we already have the next test in Barcelona. Some of the things we tested here, some bigger, some smaller, can help immediately. But we must not forget that Le Mans is a different track and that the weather there will certainly also be different,” said Marquez.
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Francesco Bagnaia recognizes progress, but hopes for more
Teammate Bagnaia confirms that the main focus of the Jerez test was on the new aero parts. “Aerodynamics was what we focused on the most. But we also tested something in the area of electronics.” Similar to Marquez, the MotoGP world champion of 2022 and 2023 also speaks of a slightly better feeling for the GP26 thanks to the new parts and believes in progress in the medium term.
“As for the front, we have made a step. It’s not a big one, but a small one, but it helps with cornering. That’s something I’ve quite missed on this year’s bike,” says Bagnaia, drawing a parallel to the software: “We also tested something on the electronics to improve the bike’s braking.”
However, Bagnaia does not yet want to speak of a breakthrough in electronics after the Jerez test. “We haven’t found a solution, but perhaps a direction. Now I hope the team will focus on that. In about a month, we will hopefully have something that really helps us,” “Pecco” looks ahead to the Barcelona test on May 18.
Marc Marquez praises consistent feedback on innovations
Apart from the two Ducati factory riders Marc Marquez and “Pecco” Bagnaia, Sunday’s winner, Gresini rider Alex Marquez, was also on track with the new parts on the GP26 on Monday in Jerez. Fabio Di Giannantonio, however, rode his GP26 in the VR46 team without new parts.
What Marc Marquez particularly likes is the fact that positive feedback was heard not only from himself and Bagnaia. “We understood a lot here, especially regarding the new aerodynamics. But, as already mentioned, we also worked on the chassis. And all riders gave more or less the same feedback, meaning ‘Pecco’, Alex, and I.”
But Marc Marquez also admits that the work is far from over: “My own feedback was very clear regarding where I believe we still need to improve. I’m not talking about a direction. I’m simply talking about the handling of the bike. The positive thing is that we all gave the same feedback.”
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