Marc Marquez feeling “uncomfortable and inconsistent”…

Marc Marquez says he is unable to bring his A-game to Assen, saying sixth place is the best he can hope for in the Dutch Grand Prix after a lacklustre showing in the sprint.

The factory Ducati rider finished Saturday’s half-distance race seventh on the road, losing out not only to the four Aprilias but also to other GP26 bikes of Fabio di Giannantonio and Francesco Bagnaia.

He was elevated to sixth in the final reckoning after Bagnaia was docked a place for going off track on the final lap, but Marquez had clearly appeared to be slower of the two in their mid-race battle.

The nine-time world champion had already downplayed his prospects of repeating his victories from Balaton Park and Brno, admitting on Friday that Assen would be a race of "survival" for him.

Speaking after the sprint, the 33-year-old said he is riding in safe mode this weekend, as he explained why he is struggling at Assen.

“Yesterday, I was there and today in the morning, we tried to do a step but we were again around seventh/eighth positions together with some KTMs, and I finished seventh [before Bagnaia’s penalty],” he said.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

“I'm in safe mode. At this circuit, you need to feel and I don't feel that I can push much more. I'm riding not bad but at some points I'm losing too much and I feel especially uncomfortable and inconsistent.

“It is a circuit where the maximum force is used, especially in the direction changes. I feel good in the straight braking, but there are many direction changes without gas.

“With gas, you can accompany yourself with the engine. By inertia, by skidding with the rear and this, you can make your life easier. But when they are direction changes without gas, and above all from left to right curve, I suffer a lot. At the moment, I am not able to do it.

“Especially because I come from the left, I jump to the right to brake, and the body goes forward. And when I went instinctively on Friday morning, I fell. Because I came from a left, I jumped in the right braking, I went forward and I fell.

“I already checked last year and I saw some crashes this year. Here, the gravel is painful so you need to take care.”

Marquez said he was not unhappy with his performance on Saturday, having already expected to struggle during the weekend.

The Spaniard said he expects there will be difficult races during the 2026 season and is prepared to accept lower-scoring results at certain tracks.

“I'm doing my 100% but I cannot do more now. In this circuit, we need to understand that and there is no frustration because it's what I expected,” he explained.

“There will be some circuits that I can manage well. There will be some circuits that in the past or last year, I was able to survive well. This year, survive really means survive. Finish eighth, 10th or even more.”

Asked about Ducati’s rival Aprilia locking out the top four spots on the grid and finishing first and second in the sprint, Marquez added: “We already know the strong points of Aprilia.

“We know that a circuit like Holland will be another circuit with fast corners where they are stronger than us. We need to evaluate 22 races but here Aprilia is stronger than us.
But Diggia [Fabio di Giannantonio] and Pecco did an incredible job because they are riding in a very good way.”