“There are no favourites” - Ducati plays down Marc Marquez’s MotoGP points lead
Davide Tardozzi doesn’t believe Ducati and Marc Marquez are now title favourites
Ducati’s Davide Tardozzi insists “there are no favourites” in the 2026 MotoGP title battle, despite Marc Marquez taking the lead in the championship for the first time.
The seven-time world champion completed back-to-back doubles on Sunday at the San Marino Grand Prix, after scoring his fifth main race victory of the campaign.
Capitalising on a crash for Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and an arm pump issue for Jorge Martin that left him fifth, Marc Marquez now leads the championship for the first time.
Though level on points with Martin, his five wins to the Aprilia rider’s one means he leaves Misano on top of the standings.
‘Marc showed who he is…’
Despite erasing a 102-point deficit since May’s Italian Grand Prix, Tardozzi has played down Marquez’s championship lead, warning of the tight battle to come.
“I think that here at Misano Marc showed who he is,” he told the official MotoGP website.
“But, on the other hand, we know that there are still eight races to go, with a lot of points to play for.
“And we perfectly know our opponents, the riders, the bike.
“So, we must be concentrated race by race and try to collect as many points as possible in each race track, because we know there are race tracks where Aprilia will be faster than us.”
He added: “No, I think there are no favourites in this moment.
“I guess that, as I said already, the championship will be played out until the end.
“But we have to take as many points as possible when we are not the fastest, and when we are comfortable, we have to try harder to win.
“We have experience, but Marc has more experience than us.
“So, we trust Marc in every situation. He is aware of his potential, and sometimes he gives us the right way to go.”
Ducati has also taken the lead in the constructors’ table by two points over Aprilia after the Misano round.
Marquez commented after the San Marino Grand Prix that leading the championship felt “unreal”, given his injury difficulties in 2026.
