Silverstone Struggles: Marc Marquez Admits Physical Limits are Costing Him Speed

Marquez Admits to Out-of-Character Struggles in Silverstone Practice

Marc Marquez's pursuit of a historic tenth world championship hit a high-speed speed bump during Friday practice at Silverstone. The factory Ducati rider cut a frustrated figure after finishing the opening day a distant seventh on the timesheets, more than seven-tenths of a second adrift of Aprilia’s pace-setter, Marco Bezzecchi.

More concerning for the Spaniard was his deficit to his fellow Ducati riders. Marquez trailed VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio by over three-tenths of a second, while his brother Alex Marquez also displayed ominous pace right behind him.

Speaking to media after the session, Marquez was candid about his struggles on fast, sweeping circuits like Silverstone, explaining that his physical condition—specifically the long-term aftermath of his shoulder injuries—no longer allows him to mask his natural weaknesses.

The Anatomy of a Deficit

Marquez revealed that trying to copy the lines of his brother Alex only exacerbated his issues during Friday's sessions.

"I learned that in some points Alex is super fast," Marquez admitted. "When I tried to copy and follow him, it was even worse because I over-rode the bike and was losing even more time. It comes down to the character of the rider. At 33 years old, I can adapt a bit, but my riding style is my riding style."

Marquez explained that while high-speed, flowing corners have historically been a weak point for him, he previously possessed the physical strength to muscle his way through them.

"With my riding style, since 2013, I’ve been strong at the same circuits and struggled at the same ones. In those flowing corners is where I’m struggling now. Last year, I struggled at the same points here at Silverstone, but I was able to recover on the change of direction. This year, I can't. I'm struggling in the same places, but where I was strong last year, I am now a bit slower because of my shoulder. Let’s see if we can manage and try to enjoy the weekend, regardless of the final position."

Damage Limitation Mode

With his title aspirations in mind, Marquez has adopted a pragmatic approach to the 2026 season: strike hard at his favorite venues while executing damage control at challenging circuits like Assen and Silverstone.

However, the Spanish rider conceded that even securing a top-five finish this weekend will require a monumental effort, pointing out the distinct characteristics of the rival machinery.

"We already understand that Aprilia is faster than us where there are flowing corners, while we are faster than them in stop-and-go corners," Marquez analyzed. "But as we saw today, we aren't even the fastest Ducati, so we have a lot of work to do."

Despite the tough start, Marquez remains slightly more upbeat than he was during previous difficult weekends. "I feel a bit more optimistic than I did at Assen. At the moment, we are far from the podium, but closer to the top five. We need to keep working to make sure we can fight for that top five on Sunday."