Marc Márquez getting back up to speed at Valencia

Marc Márquez back on track

Marc Márquez has resumed on-track preparations ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season, returning to circuit riding last week at the Aspar Circuit in Valencia as part of his recovery following the injury sustained in October.

The two-day Valencia outing marked Márquez’s first structured circuit training since late 2025, aside from the Campioni In Festa parade, where he rode his Ducati Desmosedici GP in front of Ducati employees.

Last week’s return to sustained track work represents an important step in the Spaniard’s off-season programme as he builds towards a full pre-season following a demanding but ultimately rewarding 2025 campaign.

Marc Márquez returned to circuit training at Valencia as part of his preparation for the 2026 MotoGP season.

Márquez was accompanied in Valencia by Davide Tardozzi, Team Manager of the Ducati Lenovo Team, and completed the test using Ducati Panigale V2 and V4 machinery. The focus of the session was not lap time, but physical adaptation, rhythm and workload tolerance after several months away from regular circuit riding.

The Valencia test comes off the back of a standout 2025 season in which Márquez secured his first MotoGP World Championship since the injuries that reshaped his career earlier in the decade. 2025 marked a significant and emotional turning point after a hellish few years for the Spaniard.

Marc Márquez completed part of his return-to-track programme aboard the Ducati Panigale V2 MM93.

While the October injury disrupted the latter part of the year, Ducati and Márquez have maintained a measured approach through the winter. The emphasis has been on ensuring a stable physical platform before the intensity of official testing begins, particularly given the demands of modern MotoGP machinery and the increasingly compressed pre-season schedule.

Marc Márquez completed part of his return-to-track programme aboard the Ducati Panigale V2 MM93.

Across the two days in Valencia, Márquez rode both the Panigale V2 MM93, presented late last year with his personal specifications, and the Panigale V4 Márquez 2025 World Champion Replica. The sessions provided a controlled environment to rebuild race pace conditioning, braking load tolerance and corner entry confidence, all critical areas for a rider returning from injury. However, it must be said, confidence is one thing Marc Márquez has never lacked, or bravery for that matter.

The Ducati Panigale V4 Marc Márquez 2025 World Champion Replica was used during training sessions at Valencia.

With several key events approaching, Márquez’s on-track activity is expected to ramp up steadily. Ducati’s Campioni in Pista event, the official team presentation on January 19, and the opening MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang International Circuit from February 3 to 5 will define the next phase of his preparation.

Looking ahead to 2026, Márquez enters the season as the defending World Champion but with an element of uncertainty following his most recent injury. Managing physical load while re-establishing technical continuity with the Desmosedici will be central to Ducati’s early-season strategy, particularly during the high-mileage Sepang test.

Marc Márquez’s preparation will continue ahead of the first official MotoGP test at Sepang in February.

If his Valencia return is any indication, Márquez is progressing through his recovery timeline as planned. The coming weeks will provide clearer insight into how quickly he can transition from controlled training to full MotoGP intensity and whether the momentum built during his 2025 title-winning campaign can carry over into the new season.

Marc will not be the only rider in the Ducati garage under the microscope ahead of the season start after his team-mate, Pecco Bagnaia, is looking to bounce back to confidence after a somewhat disastrous 2025 for the Italian.

2026 MotoGP Dates