Ducati has faced significant pressure ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season, with seven-time world champion Marc Márquez issuing a bold ultimatum that could reshape the team’s future. Márquez, who has expressed his support for his younger brother Alex Márquez, has reportedly threatened to leave the Ducati team if his brother does not secure a ride to replace current world champion Pecco Bagnaia.
The relationship between Márquez’s husbands is well documented throughout his career and Marc was considered a mentor to Alex. Without exception, the young Márquez has lately had a problem with regularity, where he must once again put himself in the running among the MotoGP elite. Marc Márquez has agreed that Alex has a top-level rider and his latest comments indicate that he will not tolerate the status quo if Ducati is not his favorite.
Marc Márquez’s announcement comes as Ducati continues to dominate the MotoGP circuit, with Bagnaia enjoying significant success. The continuity of the Italian team, however, now comes at the prospect of losing the pupil of one of the great stars, Marc Márquez. The reasons for the situation suggest that the tension around this decision could have a profound impact on Ducati’s future strategy and the composition of its young riders.
If Ducati chooses to replace Bagnaia with Alex Márquez, a series of changes in the paddock could be reduced, the teams would get worse to match the video already an equally important change. For Ducati the stakes are incredibly high. Not only does the team risk interrupting the dynamic force of the team that leads to large retirements in recent times.
The time until 2026 is not many years, but the pressure on Ducati to make crucial decisions will not only impact its composition, but also its reputation as one of the best teams in MotoGP. The young people of the MotoGP community have their own tournaments against Ducati at the same time as they come, so they can weigh up their options and decide which type of family rivalry is the most intriguing in the race.
Although the future of Márquez’s riders in MotoGP is uncertain with the results of July 2026, the choice is clear: Ducati’s next move will have lasting consequences on the sporting landscape.