- Marco Bezzecchi wins the Americas GP and celebrates his fifth consecutive victory
- Francesco Bagnaia finishes only tenth and admits: “Aprilia is ahead, and by a clear margin”
- Marc Marquez concedes he is physically unable to make the difference
After three race weekends of the 2026 MotoGP season, a picture is emerging that would have been almost unimaginable just a few months ago: Ducati, for years the dominant factory team in the premier class, is in a serious crisis. At the Grand Prix of the Americas on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Aprilia celebrated a second consecutive 1-2 finish with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. No Ducati rider made it onto the podium. The riders from Borgo Panigale find themselves in an unfamiliar role, and the statements from Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez after the race leave little room for optimism.
Bezzecchi Unstoppable: Five Consecutive Grand Prix Victories
Marco Bezzecchi continued his impressive run on Sunday in Austin. After crashing out of the sprint on Saturday, where he lost the lead and scored zero points, the VR46 Aprilia rider struck back emphatically in the main race. Within just a few corners, the Italian took the lead from Pedro Acosta, with slight contact between the two that left minor damage to Bezzecchi’s fairing. That, however, had no bearing on the outcome. Bezzecchi controlled the 20 laps with authority and won by one second over teammate Martin, who had earlier reclaimed second place from Acosta after a braking error into Turn 1.
With this triumph, Bezzecchi joined illustrious company. In the modern MotoGP era, only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez had previously achieved five consecutive Grand Prix wins. Bezzecchi also reclaimed the championship lead from Martin, who had won Saturday’s sprint. Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola, who had been deliberately cautious in his statements in previous weeks, was unequivocal after the latest 1-2 finish: “We currently have the best motorcycle!”
Bagnaia Capitulates: “Aprilia Is Ahead, and by a Clear Margin”
Francesco Bagnaia’s weekend encapsulated the problems of the Ducati Desmosedici GP26 as if under a magnifying glass. In Saturday’s sprint, the Italian was still fighting for the win and was only beaten by Martin on the final lap, finishing second. But in Sunday’s main race, the two-time world champion fell apart completely. After a reasonably solid first half, during which he was able to hold position in Di Giannantonio’s slipstream, Bagnaia faded dramatically from lap eight onwards.
“Today was very bad,” he said after the race. He had already noticed in warm-up that the bike felt heavier and offered less grip than the previous day. The rear tire was finished after just eight laps, even though he had not been pushing particularly hard. In the final three to four laps, he said, he was losing the rear wheel on every entry into a right-hand corner and was “really at the limit.” On the last lap, Luca Marini passed him around the outside without Bagnaia being able to do anything about it. He ultimately finished only tenth, after Alex Marquez and Raul Fernandez also overtook him in the closing stages.
When asked whether Ducati was still the bike to beat, Bagnaia answered unequivocally: “Aprilia is ahead, and by a clear margin.” The decisive difference lies in tire management. Aprilia manages to avoid overloading the tires even at high speed. Ducati, on the other hand, has a fundamental problem: “We were always strong in tire management, but now we are limited because the bike doesn’t decelerate sufficiently and doesn’t turn in cleanly. That’s why we have to use the rear tire and we wear it out too quickly.”
The pattern has been consistent throughout the season so far. Already in Thailand at the season opener and at the race in Goiânia (Brazil), Bagnaia had struggled with exactly the same issues on Sunday. The Saturday sprints, where the tires are less stressed, go significantly better for him. But over the full race distance, the Ducati apparently lacks the balance that Aprilia currently achieves to perfection.
Marquez Resigned: “I Can No Longer Make the Difference”
Even more concerning than Bagnaia’s tire problems are Marc Marquez’s admissions. The nine-time world champion and defending title holder raced at the Circuit of the Americas — traditionally one of his strongest circuits — in a manner that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. He won seven times between 2013 and 2025 in Austin and crashed three more times while leading. Yet at the 2026 Americas GP, Marquez was never a factor at the front.
Already in qualifying, he lost a massive 0.501 seconds to polesitter Di Giannantonio and had to settle for sixth on the grid. In Saturday’s sprint, he then took out his brand colleague Di Giannantonio in Turn 12 when an overtaking attempt went wrong. Both ended up in the gravel, with Di Giannantonio forced to retire. The consequence was a long lap penalty for the main race, which Marquez served on Sunday in the fourth lap. He dropped from seventh to eleventh and then had to fight his way forward laboriously. In the end, he salvaged fifth place after an intense battle with Enea Bastianini.
“We extracted the maximum,” Marquez said after the race. But he admitted that even without the penalty, he would not have won: “No. The podium would have been possible, but I couldn’t have fought for the victory.” The cause, he said, lies not with the motorcycle but with himself. “It’s me who is missing. Not the bike, me. When the tires are fresh, the bike becomes more aggressive, and right now I simply can’t ride it properly anymore.”
The serious shoulder injury Marquez sustained at the Indonesian Grand Prix in 2025 has obviously still not fully healed. Already on Friday in Austin, he had admitted that he cannot muscle the bike around the twisty first sector the way he would like. He simply lacks the strength. In the opening laps, he is currently not riding well; only as the race progresses does he adapt better to the bike. “But I’m not riding in a natural position — I’m just riding along,” he explained. The statement that resonated most: “I’m still fast, but I can no longer make the difference!”
Ducati Internally: Dall’Igna Under Pressure, Tardozzi Sounds the Alarm
The problems are not limited to the two lead riders. Behind the scenes, there is turmoil at Ducati as well. Team manager Davide Tardozzi had already chosen unusually candid words after the Brazilian GP, stating that the team cannot always rely on Marc Marquez to compensate for the motorcycle’s weaknesses. Ducati needs to raise its own level to be able to challenge Aprilia. Technical director Gigi Dall’Igna has been working since winter to address the issues, but progress is difficult to achieve because Aprilia is doing such strong work at the same time.
After 88 consecutive podium finishes, Ducati had already failed to secure a top-three result at the season opener in Thailand. In Brazil, Di Giannantonio at least managed third place on the podium, but with a clear gap to the dominant Aprilias. In Austin, once again no podium for a Ducati rider. Dall’Igna had acknowledged after the Brazilian GP that the weekend had been “below expectations” and emphasized the need to “stay patient and not panic.”
Observers in the paddock take a more critical view of the situation. Ducati apparently reached its zenith with the 2024 motorcycle. There were no clear technical improvements in 2025, and the GP26 does not appear to be the hoped-for upgrade either. Only Marc Marquez, with his talent and his then-peak fitness, had artificially kept the Ducati dominance alive in 2025. In return, Aprilia under the leadership of technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini, now in his second year with the manufacturer from Noale, has developed consistently. The RS-GP is now competitive on all circuits and under virtually all conditions.
Another aspect that should worry Ducati: all four Aprilia machines are within the top seven of the overall championship standings after three race weekends. Besides Bezzecchi and Martin, the Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura are also well placed. Ogura had even been on course for a podium in Austin before a technical failure forced him to retire.
Championship Standings: Bezzecchi Leads, Marquez Already 36 Points Behind
After the third race weekend, Bezzecchi leads the overall standings, closely followed by Martin. Pedro Acosta lies in third as the best KTM rider. Defending champion Marquez, fifth in the championship, is already 36 points off the lead. Bagnaia, who was vice-champion last year, sits only in eighth place.
The next opportunity to turn things around comes on the weekend of April 24 to 26 at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez. The three-week break is due to the rescheduling of the Qatar Grand Prix to the end of the season in November. On the Monday after the race in Jerez, there is also an official test day, which could be Ducati’s last chance to try out decisive technical changes. Whether the three-week break will be enough to improve both the motorcycle and Marquez’s physical condition remains to be seen.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who won the 2026 MotoGP Americas GP in Austin?
Marco Bezzecchi won the 2026 Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin on his Aprilia. It was his fifth consecutive victory. Jorge Martin completed the second consecutive Aprilia 1-2 finish as runner-up, while Pedro Acosta finished third on the KTM.
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Why is Ducati no longer dominant in the 2026 MotoGP season?
Ducati is struggling with tire management and vehicle balance issues on the Desmosedici GP26. The motorcycle degrades the rear tire excessively during Sunday races because, according to Francesco Bagnaia, it does not decelerate sufficiently and does not turn in cleanly. At the same time, defending champion Marc Marquez is battling the aftermath of his shoulder injury from 2025.
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How many points behind is Marc Marquez in the 2026 MotoGP championship?
After three of 22 race weekends, Marc Marquez sits fifth in the championship, already 36 points behind leader Marco Bezzecchi. The deficit is partly due to his still not fully healed shoulder injury and the long lap penalty at the Austin GP.
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When is the next 2026 MotoGP race?
The next MotoGP race is the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez from April 24 to 26, 2026. The three-week break after Austin is due to the rescheduling of the Qatar GP to November. On the Monday after the Jerez race, there is an official test day.
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