Why Marquez insists he is “not ready” for MotoGP title fight despite dominant Hungary win

Marc Marquez says he is not willing to consider himself a contender for the 2026 MotoGP title yet, despite jumping to fifth in the standings with a dominant performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Continuing his recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained at Lombok last year, factory Ducati rider Marquez claimed his first grand prix win of 2026 at the Balaton Park Circuit, beating KTM’s Pedro Acosta in a straight shootout.

The result coincided with a nightmare result for runaway leader Aprilia, with factory rider Jorge Martin triggering an opening lap clash that also took out his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez.

Grabbing a maximum haul of 37 points from the weekend after also winning the sprint, Marquez now trails Bezzzecchi by 72 points in the standings, having previously faced a three-digit deficit to the championship leader.

However, Marquez believes his fitness will continue to impact his form for some time, suggesting the next two tracks could prove to be much more difficult for him than the anti-clockwise Balaton circuit.

“I'm not ready,” he declared. “I would like to say to you, 'yes, we are ready to come back and we will attack, [there is] nothing to lose'. But still, I believe that I have more to lose than to win, especially because now everybody will be very excited that I won again.

“But we are going to Brno and Assen, which are two ‘right’ circuits, where it's quite demanding for the right shoulder.

“Then we have Sachsenring and summer break, so I will understand better in the second part of the championship.”

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Ducati Corse

He added: “The championship is super long. But we are not on at the moment. We are not in shape. I don't feel that I'm ready to fight, honestly speaking. Because this weekend, yes [we performed well], but in Mugello, we were 10 seconds behind the leader.

“Still, I need to reach my new 100%. I will not say my [peak] 100%, but I need to reach my new 100%, and from that point, I will understand [where I am]. But, you know me. If I'm here, it's to fight. Every race, every practice.”

Marquez didn’t want to delve into Aprilia’s double DNF at Balaton Park. Instead, he was only concerned with how Ducati fared over the course of an entire campaign.

“It's true that in this track Aprilia suffered a bit,” he said. “But I'm wearing a red leather suit and what I wear is the best bike and best place. So, it doesn't matter if we are suffering more or so. I believe that in 22 races we have the best bike.”

Marquez indicated that he is trying to change his approach in MotoGP, admitting that he had been putting too much stress on himself to perform.

“I would like to enjoy it. I put a lot of pressure on myself during all my career, and now I realise that after all that happened, I need to enjoy it,” he said.

“And let's be a bit easier on myself. I want to be more relaxed with the same intensity.”