News Summary

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali admits he once believed the 2026 MotoGP World Championship was effectively out of reach, but now sees the title fight as “very open” with nine Grands Prix still to come.

Ducati was caught off guard by Aprilia’s strong start to the season, with Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi giving the RS-GP a level of competitiveness that initially put the Italian manufacturer on the back foot. The situation changed during the European summer, however, as Ducati extracted more performance from the Desmosedici.

Ahead of the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix, the 14th round of the 22-round season, Martín leads the championship with 256 points. Marc Márquez is second on 237, while Bezzecchi sits third with 232, meaning only 24 points separate the top three.

“Three months ago, the World Championship seemed irretrievably lost. Today, the perspective is very different, and I would say the championship is very open,” Domenicali told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Ducati executive acknowledged that Aprilia’s early-season advantage forced the reigning manufacturers’ champion to react, but said the balance shifted significantly over the summer.

“The start of the season was very difficult. Then, during the summer, things became much more balanced. We are behind and, therefore, we are not the favourites,” Domenicali said.

The comments come after a dramatic change in the championship picture at the previous round in Aragón. Marc Márquez took both the Sprint and Grand Prix victories to score the maximum 37 points available over the weekend, moving to within 19 points of Martín. Bezzecchi also remains firmly in contention after finishing third in the Grand Prix.

Marc Márquez arrived at Misano just 19 points behind Martín after completing a perfect Aragón weekend, while Bezzecchi has also closed the gap and remains only 24 points from the championship lead.

Ducati refuses to call itself favourite

Despite the improvement, Domenicali is reluctant to put Ducati in the position of favourite. The manufacturer is still chasing an Aprilia rider in the championship, while Márquez is the only Ducati representative among the top three.

“When the championship is advanced and we have points to recover, it is always complicated,” Domenicali said. “But the nice thing is that we are in the fight and the fans will see an exciting end to the season.”

The situation also highlights how quickly the competitive order has changed. Aprilia currently leads Ducati in the Teams’ Championship, while Bezzecchi and Martín give the Noale manufacturer two riders inside the top three of the riders’ standings.

For Ducati, however, Márquez’s resurgence has transformed the outlook. The reigning world champion has now won four Grands Prix in 2026 and heads to Misano with the momentum of two consecutive victories in Aragón. MotoGP’s official preview also notes that Márquez has six premier-class wins at Misano, including victories in the past two seasons.

Ducati has already praised Márquez for making the most of the Aragón weekend as the title fight tightened.

The next stage of the championship begins at Misano from September 11-13. Martín arrives with the lead, Márquez is within a single strong weekend of taking control of the standings, and Bezzecchi remains close enough to turn the title fight into a three-way battle.

For Domenicali, that is a radically different scenario from the one Ducati faced only three months ago.

The Italian manufacturer may not be the favourite, but after appearing to be out of the title picture, it now has a genuine opportunity to fight all the way to the final rounds of the 2026 season.

Claudio Domenicali believes the title fight will go down to the final rounds of the championship (Photo: Ducati)

FAQ

Who leads the 2026 MotoGP championship?

Jorge Martín leads the championship with 256 points ahead of the San Marino GP. Marc Márquez is second with 237 points, 19 behind, while Marco Bezzecchi is third with 232, 24 points off the lead.

Can Marc Márquez take the MotoGP championship lead at Misano?

Yes. Márquez is 19 points behind Martín, so he can move into the championship lead at Misano if he outscores the Aprilia rider by at least 20 points over the Sprint and Grand Prix weekend.

When is the 2026 San Marino MotoGP?

The San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix takes place at Misano from September 11-13, 2026. It is the 14th round of the 22-round MotoGP season.