Who will replace injured Marc Marquez at Ducati?
With Marc Marquez sidelined by a shoulder injury, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro looks favourite to stand in - but a WorldSBK call-up is also possible...
Marc Marquez’s shoulder injury could extend Michele Pirro’s remarkable run of yearly MotoGP appearances for another season, but could also Ducati look to WorldSBK for a shock stand-in.
With Ducati’s ‘A’ concession status eliminating wild-card entries, factory test rider Pirro’s streak of making at least one MotoGP start every season since 2012 is under threat.
After making 50 wild-card and substitute appearances for Ducati between 2013 and 2023, Pirro was sidelined until the final round of last year, when he was called up to replace VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio in Barcelona.
With Marquez confirmed as missing the upcoming Australian (Oct 17–19) and Malaysian (Oct 24–26) rounds, the 39-year-old is the obvious candidate to step in alongside Francesco Bagnaia.
The MotoGP rulebook requires that: “Teams must make every reasonable effort to provide a qualified substitute rider to fulfil their entry obligations within 10 days of withdrawal.”
With Ducati already securing the riders’, teams’ and constructors’ triple crown, they are under no pressure for race results and Pirro’s focus would likely be on gathering data for 2026.
However, any substitute “will be deemed to be the original rider [Marquez] for purposes of engine allocation,” limiting Ducati’s testing opportunities.
WorldSBK options for Sepang
The Australian Grand Prix also coincides with the World Superbike finale, where Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega is locked in a title fight with Toprak Razgatlioglu.
That opens the possibility of Ducati calling up one of its WorldSBK stars for the following weekend in Malaysia.
It wouldn’t be the first time Ducati has rotated replacements, with VR46 running Andrea Iannone at Sepang last year before handing the bike to Pirro at Barcelona.
Could Iannone now make a sensational return to the factory team where he claimed Ducati’s first win of the Gigi Dall’Igna era in 2015?
While Iannone proved willing to step in without any testing at Sepang last year, and did a very credible job, there is also the option of putting Bulega on the bike.
Bulega’s future Ducati contract includes MotoGP testing, alongside Pirro in 2026.
However, perhaps wary of Alvaro Bautista’s fortunes as a wild-card at the 2023 Malaysian Grand Prix, the Italian might feel there is more to lose than gain from a ‘rushed’ debut.
Former MotoGP rider Bautista is also available for Ducati, who might value his experience as they try and decode Francesco Bagnaia's struggles.
However, fellow veteran Danilo Petrucci's 2026 factory BMW move is likely to scupper any stand-in chances by the double MotoGP race winner.
After Sepang, the MotoGP season concludes with rounds at Portimao and Valencia.
"My goal is to be back before the end of the season, but without rushing things beyond the doctors’ recommendations," said Marquez.
The newly crowned seven-time MotoGP champion suffered a 'fracture at the base of the coracoid process and a ligament injury to his right shoulder' after being taken down by Marco Bezzecchi in Sunday's Indonesian Grand Prix.
Marquez's medical team have opted for a 'conservative treatment plan involving rest and immobilisation of the affected shoulder' rather than surgery.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
