Last year was a breakthrough season for Alex Márquez. He took his first win in the top flight and even fought his way into the title race, eventually finishing second in the standings. It was enough to catch Ducati’s attention, earning him a spot on their factory team for this year.
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Marc Márquez may have been on another level, but Alex’s rise did not go unnoticed. His performances with Gresini were enough to convince Ducati that he was ready to take a factory position in 2026.
Many consider the measure important, but it also comes with higher expectations. As such, Guidotti has warned that things will be different under new boss Mauro Grassilli, and Alex must perform at a higher level than before.
Francesco Guidotti says Ducati is holding Alex Márquez to a higher standard in 2026
Speaking to Speedweek, former KTM team boss Francesco Guidotti spoke about Ducati’s performance at the opening round in Thailand and took the opportunity to warn Alex Marquez about what is expected of him this season.
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Guidotti was quick to highlight the strong pace of the VR46 pairing of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, who finished as the top Ducati riders in sixth and eighth place.
“The VR46 drivers were also there in terms of speed. It’s just that the results didn’t reflect that. (Di Giannantonio) also had a small technical problem that slowed him down, and Morbidelli, starting from 19th after a very poor start, had one of his best races; the pace of both was competitive.”
Meanwhile, Alex Marquez failed to finish after crashing on lap 21. That came after finishing 11th in Saturday’s Sprint race, leaving him without a point heading into the second round.
“I don’t think the ‘Alex case’ is that simple. It started in very different circumstances until 2025.
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“Back then, no one had him on their radar and he was free to race however he wanted – every race was good in terms of his approach.”
“That has changed. Now there are expectations due to the support of the factory, which in Thailand ended with him in the gravel,” he concluded.
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