Marc Marquez: 'It's not that the others are going faster, it's that I'm going slower'

The factory Ducati star took the blame for his French Friday failure

After hitting a new low for 2026 at Le Mans on Friday, Marc Marquez is sticking to the same explanation for his troubles that he has offered in previous races. The nine-time world champion insists that he is the problem, not the bike.

In Practice for the French Grand Prix, the Spaniard failed to make it directly into Q2 for the first time since last year's Indonesian Grand Prix - the scene of a big crash that put him out of action for the rest of the 2025 season.

While a crash by his factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia ruined Marquez's final push by bringing out a yellow flag, Marquez was by no means certain to have made it through. He struggled for pace all day, having finished FP1 ninth-fastest and failed to set the world alight through the course of Practice.

As has become his habit in this difficult season, the 33-year-old from Cervera wasn't in any mood to sugarcoat the situation afterwards.

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“On my final attempt at a fast lap, I wasn't able to finish it the way I should have," he said. "[But] if you have the speed, the yellow flags don't matter, because sooner or later you'll set a fast lap."

Not only did he again state that his fitness was no issue as far as his speed was concerned, he also noted that Fabio di Giannantonio (VR46), Bagnaia and Marc's brother Alex (Gresini) had filled out the top four on similar Ducati machinery.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images

"Ducati has the second-fastest, third-fastest and fourth-fastest riders, so the bike is working well. I need to work in the garage to build my confidence, because right now we’re not ready to show our speed or to fight for the championship.

"I’m working on sorting everything out, because the bike is running well. It’s not that the others are going faster, it’s that I’m going slower. Apart from the first race of the year, I haven’t been the fastest Ducati rider at any point. But I’m very calm; I know what I need to work on."

Marquez had more potential than 13th-fastest time he registered on the final Practice timesheets. Combining all of his best sectors would have given him an 'ideal time' good enough for ninth, which would have secured him a direct entry into Q2. However, he would have still ended up well behind the three front-running Ducatis.