Marquez pauses Ducati talks
Marc Márquez has asked Ducati to 'wait' on 2027 contract negotiations while he recovers from a shoulder issue and wants to feel fully fit before committing — the pause follows his rare defeat by a teammate at the Brazilian GP. (motogpnews.com) (motorcyclesports.net)
Marc Márquez damaged his right shoulder in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October 2025, underwent surgery and has repeatedly said that the October injury was what effectively ended his 2025 campaign. (crash.net) Multiple outlets report Ducati and Márquez have already agreed “most of the points” in a renewal but that the contract length — Ducati favouring two years — has been the key outstanding issue in talks. (crash.net) The Race says Márquez is now closer to accepting a two‑year 2027–28 arrangement if his shoulder continues to improve, and Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna had earlier sounded confident at the team presentation that a new deal was imminent. (the-race.com) Márquez sits fifth in the early 2026 riders’ standings on 34 points after two rounds, while Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship on 56 points. (motogpnews.com) Ducati attributed his retirement from the season opener in Thailand to severe rear‑rim damage after kerb contact — team boss Davide Tardozzi described the failure as the rim “exploding” on lap 21, which cost Márquez valuable points. (crash.net) At Goiânia Márquez won the Tissot Sprint on March 21 but finished fourth in the main Grand Prix, where Fabio Di Giannantonio took third; those mixed results have left Ducati monitoring both his fitness and form as contract discussions remain unresolved. (motogp.com)
