MotoGP - Promotion for Alex Marquez: On the Ducati GP26 in the 2026 MotoGP season!

Two Grand Prix victories, one sprint victory, a total of 18 podium finishes, and one pole position: Alex Marquez is undoubtedly having the best MotoGP season of his career in 2025 and is comfortably on course for second place in the World Championship. The 29-year-old, who rides for the Gresini team, often had no answer against his brother Marc. But that shouldn't obscure Alex Marquez's outstanding performances this season—and Ducati has now recognized that.

As Gresini announced in an official press release on Friday morning, the Italian manufacturer has decided to reward Alex Marquez for his strong performance in 2025 with a motorcycle of the latest specification (GP26) in the upcoming 2026 season. In the current season, Marquez is still riding the Desmosedici GP24, last year's bike, which actually only makes his performances more impressive.

"Alex Marquez's season was very impressive. After careful consideration, Ducati Corse has decided to support him and his team even more strongly going forward. Alex is getting the most out of the Desmosedici GP, and we are convinced that with new updates he can improve even further next year," said Ducati team principal Gigi Dall'Igna, explaining the decision. Marquez himself said: "It's an honor to be able to ride a factory bike with the Gresini team. The team has done incredible work over many years, and this is the reward. This is another step towards realizing our dreams and doing even better in 2026."

Alex Marquez has made no secret in recent months that he would like to ride a current specification bike next year – and the confirmation of this should now be music to his ears. The Gresini rider is skipping the Desmosedici GP25, which is viewed very critically in the MotoGP paddock. While Marc Marquez races from race win to race win on this bike, Fabio Di Giannantonio and especially Francesco Bagnaia are having major problems with it.

For this reason, Ducati had originally even considered simply fielding all six riders in its lineup next season on current motorcycles—i.e., a GP26. However, these ideas were ultimately abandoned because this would have been unfeasible, especially from a production perspective. Furthermore, Marc Marquez's strong performances on the GP25 had ultimately convinced Ducati bosses that this motorcycle would still be suitable for racing in 2026.

By splitting the GP26 between Marc Marquez, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, and Alex Marquez, and the GP25 between Franco Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer, Ducati is returning to its previous model: four factory machines and two previous-year machines. Last year, the Italians decided to field only three current machines (Marc Marquez, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio) in 2025, primarily to free up capacity for the development of the new bike for the 2027 regulations . However, these are apparently no longer needed, meaning they can return to four factory machines in 2026.

But that was likely Ducati's plan from the start anyway, as when Fermin Aldeguer was signed in the spring of 2024, it was already reported that the young Spaniard had been promised a promotion to a factory machine in his second MotoGP season – 2026. While this fourth GP26 will not go to Aldeguer, but to teammate Alex Marquez, the 20-year-old rookie is said to have received some concessions from Ducati boss Gigi Dall'Igna as compensation. The exact nature of these concessions is unclear, but they could include some technical updates during the 2026 season.

What do you think: Did Ducati make the right decision by promoting Alex Marquez to the GP26, and could this already be a first indication of the factory team's rider lineup for 2027? Share your thoughts in the comments!