“I don’t understand”: Marc Marquez’s worrying French MotoGP qualifying claim

Marc Marquez has worryingly admitted that he is “in a moment where I don’t understand how I’m riding”, after claiming a front row in qualifying for the MotoGP French Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion has endured a tough start to the 2026 season, with his injured shoulder continuing to affect him.

However, he also noted after missing Q2 on Friday at Le Mans that he is struggling for front-end confidence on the GP26 Ducati.

That came as the likes of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Pecco Bagnaia showed strong single-lap and long-run pace on Friday.

But Marc Marquez managed a new lap record to get out of Q1 and missed pole to team-mate Bagnaia by just 0.012s in Q2 on Saturday morning.

“It’s a problem…”

Marquez’s 1m29.2s in Q1 was about a second faster than his best in Practice, but he is unsure where that speed has come from as his base set-up is “more or less” the same.

Speaking in parc ferme after qualifying, he told TNT Sports: “I’m in a moment where I don’t understand how I’m riding. And it’s a problem.

“I’m laughing, but it’s a problem, because I need to understand the way I’m riding because I can be fast, as I showed today and as I showed in previous races.

“But I cannot be consistent. So, it’s there where I am working.

“I don’t know how today I improved one second, because the bike is more or less [the same].

“They [the team] worked [on it], but the base is the same, more or less. So, it’s myself, and it’s there where we will try to improve in the next weeks.”

Marquez has been strong on Saturdays in the sprints so far in 2026, having taken two wins from the first four.

Asked what he can expect from today’s half-distance race, Marquez replied: “I don’t know, I cannot say to you, because if you check the pace of free practice, I’m fighting for the top 10, eighth.

“But, starting from the front row, let’s see if I can follow the top guys.

“But Pecco and some of them are faster than me this weekend.”