Ducati: Marc Marquez will “attack”, Martin “a hero” but Bezzecchi “can win every MotoGP race”

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi insists the MotoGP title remains wide open despite Marc Marquez taking a ten-point lead over injured rival Jorge Martin at Phillip Island.

Marquez moved to the top of the standings for the third time this season after a thrilling Sprint duel with Martin ended with the Aprilia rider crashing out.

Martin was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured right wrist, ruling him out of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

However, the race was cancelled due to poor visibility preventing the medical helicopter from operating, denying Marc Marquez the chance to extend his advantage.

“For Ducati it's obvious that we miss an opportunity, but the first thing we are always thinking about is rider safety,” Tardozzi said on Sunday evening. “And that's ahead of everything: sport, business and whatever.

“Personally, I already lost the career of one rider here in 1998 with [Carl] Fogarty, so I don't want to see something else again. And if the decision is for safety, we have to cancel. Again, I think we miss an opportunity, but safety ahead of sport.”

Nonetheless, looking at the weekend as a whole, Tardozzi felt Aprilia had also been unlucky, with Saturday morning's rain washing away its dry-weather advantage in qualifying before Martin stepped up to challenge Marquez in the Sprint.

“I think that they've been unlucky because it's obvious that in dry conditions Bezzecchi was very competitive. He came up from the fourth row to the fourth position [in the Sprint],” Tardozzi said.

“And Martin made a mistake, but he was very, very competitive. I don't know if Marc was able to beat him. I think that it was going to be a head-to-head until the end, but unfortunately he made a mistake.”

Tardozzi: Jorge Martin is “a hero”

Although Martin was initially expected to return to Europe, further scans ruled out a suspected second fracture, and the Spaniard is now working towards a return at Sepang next weekend.

Tardozzi praised the determination of the 2024 world champion, whom he described as a “hero”.

“I'm happy to hear that he will be in Sepang. That means that the injury is not so bad, but we know very well Martin. He is a hero, he is a fast rider, so he will try his best to give us a hard life.”

However, Ducati has reigning nine-time world champion Marquez in its corner.

“I think that the best race of Marc we will see in the future. Because he always surprises us,” Tardozzi said, when asked if the Sprint was Marquez's best race so far.

“But what I saw yesterday is that Marc was managing, was thinking.

“He was not playing because he was really on the limit, but he was conscious about the situation. And he has a huge respect for Jorge, and that's why he was always fighting.

“When Martin overtook him, Marc said he was trying to reply immediately, because he knew that if Martin did one or two laps alone, he could pull away.”

Marc Marquez will “attack” despite title lead

Just as at Phillip Island, Tardozzi expects Marquez to go on the attack in the remaining four rounds, despite now holding the championship lead.

“I think that he will attack,” Tardozzi said. “I think, honestly, in the next four races, three will suit Aprilia and there will be one where we can be faster than them.

“But in the end, we have Marc Marquez. And that's something that relaxes us.

“But we know that our opponents are very strong. They have two riders competing for the championship. So they have all our respect, because we know their potential as a factory and mainly as riders.

“But again, we are Ducati, we are always there, and we have Marc Marquez.”

Marco Bezzecchi “can win every race”

At the start of the Phillip Island weekend, future Ducati rider Pedro Acosta was asked whether he would be Marquez's “friend” in the title battle.

Acosta promptly replied that there are “no friends” and that he remains a KTM rider until the end of the season.

However, if Bezzecchi delivers the speed Tardozzi predicts, the Italian could end up helping Marquez by taking points away from his own Aprilia team-mate Martin.

Bezzecchi remains 50 points behind Marquez, but Tardozzi believes the Italian is capable of winning all four remaining Grands Prix.

“It depends on Jorge's situation, because I have a huge respect for Marco,” Tardozzi replied, when asked who is the biggest threat.

“And again, I think that 50 points [Bezzecchi’s gap to Marquez] are nothing. I think that Marco has the potential to win every race from now until the end.

“On Jorge's side, it's obvious that his injury will make the difference, positive or negative… [in terms of] his competitiveness in Sepang and Qatar.”

After Sepang, MotoGP moves straight to Qatar before returning to Europe for Portimao and Valencia.

Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez won for Ducati at Sepang last year, while Marc Marquez took a double victory in Qatar (held earlier in the season).

Bezzecchi finished the season by winning the Portimao and Valencia Grands Prix, with Alex Marquez victorious in the Sprints.

However, Marquez and Martin were both injured at the end of last season.