Why Marc Marquez is expecting an “intense” 2026 MotoGP season

Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez believes the 2026 season will be “very intense”, as he names the riders he considers to pose the biggest threat.

The 32-year-old Spaniard comes into the new year as the reigning champion for the first time since 2020, after dominating the 2025 campaign for Ducati.

Marc Marquez won 11 grands prix and 14 sprints, as well as scoring seven successive 37-point weekends between Aragon and Hungary, to ease to his seventh premier class title.

He now stands level with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi and is one away from the record of eight held by Giacomo Agostini.

He goes into the 2026 season as the overwhelming favourite to win the championship again in the final year of the 1000cc formula, though he is taking nothing for granted.

“Every year is different,” he told El Periodico.

“No matter how well you’ve done one year, it doesn’t mean the next will be the same or better.

“It’s usually worse at the start, because everyone has their eyes on you.

“But we have to work hard this winter to be as prepared as possible, because there will be some very tough rivals.

“There’s Alex [Marquez], the runner-up in the world championship.

“[There’s Marco] Bezzecchi, who finished the year in good form. And Pecco Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP world champion who has the same bike.

“We’re expecting a very intense season, especially the first part.”

Ducati faced a growing threat from Aprilia as the 2025 season progressed, with the rival Italian brand enjoying its best year ever in MotoGP.

It scored four grands prix victories on its way to runner-up spot in the manufacturers’ table, while Marco Bezzecchi climbed into the top three in the riders’ rankings.

Marquez missed the final four rounds due to a complicated shoulder injury following a collision with Bezzecchi at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Despite this, he still finished 78 points clear of Alex Marquez in second in the standings and 192 ahead of Bezzecchi.

Marquez’s recovery is going well, and he is expected to be able to take part in the first pre-season test of 2026 at Sepang in February.