‘That’s Marc Marquez’ - Ducati MotoGP boss “surprised” by Hungary comeback win
Davide Tardozzi admits Marc Marquez’s form in Hungary took him by surprise
Ducati MotoGP team boss Davide Tardozzi admits he is “surprised that I’m still surprised” by Marc Marquez, following his injury comeback victory in Hungary.
The seven-time world champion chalked up his first win of the 2026 campaign and first since last September at the Hungarian Grand Prix, eight rounds into the season.
It came as Marc Marquez struggled with a lingering nerve issue this year in the right shoulder he badly injury in a crash in October’s Indonesian Grand Prix just a week after winning the 2025 world title.
Balaton Park was a favourable circuit for Marquez’s physical condition, given its anticlockwise layout, but his clean sweep in Hungary is something Tardozzi was stunned by.
“Absolutely, yes,” he replied when asked if he was surprised by Marquez’s performance.
“But what I want to say is: I’m surprised that I’m still surprised, because that’s Marc Marquez.
“Marc knows perfectly what his limit is at this moment. Despite what he did during the weekend, he’s still not 100%.
“We have to work each race to let him be better and better on the bike.
“But he’s working to recover his injury, because he is not perfect yet.
“But he’s a champion, and he’s able to do races and weekends like he did here.”
“We’re sure we’ve always had a competitive bike”
Marquez’s win in Hungary was Ducati’s third of a season in which Aprilia has had a clear advantage over it.
Tardozzi anticipates that the upcoming Czech and Dutch rounds will play in Aprilia’s favour, but is confident the balance will tip in Ducati’s favour at other venues.
“We are sure that we always had, for years, but since the beginning of the year, a very competitive bike,” he added.
“But we have to say that our opponents who are leading the championship did a fantastic job, and in this moment we are in the same level, or… I think in the next race tracks, it will be places where they have an advantage, while in other ones we will have an advantage.”
Marquez is now 72 points behind championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, having come to Hungary 102 down on the Aprilia rider.
In this article
