Marc Marquez’s Sepang MotoGP test prediction: “Super good” then “a drop”

Marc Marquez predicts he will feel “super good” on the first day of his MotoGP comeback at the Sepang test but will then face a “drop”.

That’s due to the “durability” of his healing shoulder, injured when he was taken down by contact from Marco Bezzecchi at the Indonesian MotoGP on October 5, a week after winning his ninth world title.

“I can ride really well at a normal level for one day, but then the second day I drop a lot,” Marc Marquez said at the Ducati team launch.

“I already predict that in Malaysia, the first day I will feel super good, but Malaysia is a difficult test for everybody [physically], and the most difficult thing to control is from the first day to the second.

“Even just to go two days in a row in the gym - on the second day, I cannot perform well. Something that I achieved last year. But I think that we [are improving] in a good way, and for riding a bike for one single day, I'm already at my normal level.”

The 32-year-old, who won 25 races (Sprints and GPs) before his shoulder injury, emphasised that raw speed is not a concern.

“It's what I understood with the last injury; if I feel well with my physical condition, the speed is there,” he explained.

“For that reason, I was not worried to miss the Valencia test, I was not worried to miss the Valencia race, because my weak point is my physical side. So if I take care about this, the speed is there.”

Marquez’s absence from the final four rounds and the Valencia test also prevented the Spaniard from being directly involved in the Ducati GP26’s development.

“We will start with our 2025 base and from that point introduce the new things,” he said. “They told me they have a big list, so as you will see we will work on the aerodynamics to try to turn better, we will work on the engine - we cannot change, but we have different parts [around the engine freeze] to try to increase a bit the top speed.

“So basically my base was good, then Alex and Pecco gave some good comments in the Valencia test, and we will keep going to be the best bike, manufacturer next year.”

The official Sepang test takes place from February 3-5, followed by the Buriram test on February 21-22. Marquez then starts his title defence a week later at the Thai MotoGP season opener.