Alex Marquez: Ducati MotoGP bike “not the one we know” at Austrian MotoGP

Ducati’s MotoGP bike was “not the one we know” at the Austrian MotoGP, Alex Marquez says, after crashing out at the Red Bull Ring.

The Austrian Grand Prix had been a real stronghold for Ducati. Since the track first appeared on the MotoGP calendar in 2016 the Bologna factory had been beaten there only twice before this year, and arriving there for the 2026 race the last defeat came back in the mixed conditions of 2021’s Styrian Grand Prix.

However, this year the brand was beaten in the Sprint by Aprilia’s Jorge Martin and in the race by three Aprilias – those of Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, and Ai Ogura – as well as KTM’s Pedro Acosta who won for the first time.

Seeing no Ducati rider on the podium at the Red Bull Ring – the first time that’s happened since 2016 – was a surprise for Alex Marquez, although he felt the race reflected the reality of the weekend.

“I mean, quite surprised to suffer like this here,” said Marquez after the Red Bull Ring race.

“But from the FP1, we were seeing what happened. Something really strange. 

“The bike was not like the one that we know. It changed a lot with the casing – also happened to us this in Thailand. 

“We can't use the grip from this rear tyre, and we lose a lot in that part – in traction part especially.”

A similar rear tyre construction will be used at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October, which could pose similar challenges for Ducati, Gresini Racing’s Marquez thinks.

“It's similar,” he said, “and there the grip level from the layout also is higher than here. So, it will be like this. 

“Last year, Fermin [Aldeguer] won, I was in the podium, so hopeful to be good there and to struggle less. 

“But there, the Aprilia last year already we were flying with Bezzecchi especially. So, it will be difficult, but we'll try our best, and for sure Ducati will work a lot.”

“Too many mistakes”

Marquez’s Austrian Grand Prix ended early when he crashed at turn 2a while being passed by Raul Fernandez.

He’d launched well off the line, but Marquez lost positions in the first corners; he then had several temperature warning lights on his dashboard, but the crash was on him, as were several other mistakes he wanted to apologise to his Gresini team for.

“I lost a lot of positions in the first lap,” Marquez said in review of his race. “The start was not bad, but later on I did not attack in the first corner enough. 

“Later on, I was a little bit there in the middle, fighting there, and I lose a lot of positions. I passed [the start-finish line] 14th, I think. 

“I had the alarm of hot brakes, hot engine, everything, but I say ‘Okay, I try, I’m 14th, 13th, so I will not lose a lot if I crash’. 

“So in that moment I start to go, and then in a fight with Raul [Fernandez]. We were in parallel, I was a little bit on the dirty zone, and then I lose the front, but nothing to say. 

“Just sorry to the team because I did too many mistakes during this weekend, and I was not able to over-ride on the problems that we had on the Ducati. 

“So, I didn't help for that problem, and to have less problems at that point.”

On the temperature alarms, Marquez added: “It's more difficult to brake, stop the bike, so you use more brake, and then everything is like a roll that never stops.”