Davide Tardozzi has revealed that Mandalika opened Ducati’s eyes to the “truth”, and that Phillip Island might show Marc Marquez has no chance of winning the 2026 title.
Ducati team manager Tardozzi believes the Indonesian Grand Prix round was a “success” for Marquez, as he left Mandalika still facing just a two-point deficit to Aprilia rival Jorge Martin atop the riders’ championship. Yet Ducati expected Marquez to be a lot closer on the circuit.
Marquez won the Mandalika Sprint Race on Saturday, but he only truly claimed glory thanks to the misfortune that befell Aprilia’s Martin and Marco Bezzecchi plus Trackhouse star Raul Fernandez. Bezzecchi and Fernandez collided at the start of the Mandalika Sprint, and a low front tyre pressure forced Martin to yield the lead to Marquez before he only finished in P4.
Davide Tardozzi thinks Phillip Island will prove whether Marc Marquez can beat the Aprilia RS-GP
Sunday’s feature race saw the Aprilia RS-GP stretch its legs, however, as Bezzecchi won the Indonesian GP in a first-ever 1-2-3-4 finish for the Noale natives ahead of Fernandez, Martin and Ai Ogura. Marquez was 10.778s adrift as he only sealed a P6 finish in the Indonesian GP.
READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi wins the 2026 Indonesian GP in a historic Aprilia 1-2-3-4
Tyre pressure problems for KTM’s Pedro Acosta in P5 and Ducati’s Marquez helped to hinder their bids to fight the Aprilia fold at Mandalika. Tardozzi also admits that the Bologna Bullets had expected Marquez would be “a little” closer to Martin, who finished 3.888s ahead in P3.
Now, Ducati team manager Tardozzi is not sure whether the GP26 will prove strong enough for Marquez to usurp Martin aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, which he expects to be strong at the final Australian Grand Prix held at Phillip Island on October 23-25. But if Marquez can battle Martin and the other Aprilia riders at Phillip Island, then the 2026 title fight will rumble on.
Tardozzi told Sky Sports Italy: “If we look at the pure result, that is, arriving with minus-two and leaving with minus-two, for us it’s a success. It’s clear that the real problem remains [that] Aprilia have proven to be clearly superior.
“Especially on this circuit, we already knew that, but we expected the difference to be a little smaller. That’s the truth.
“From there, the other circuits will give us more clues, especially Phillip Island, where, frankly, there are other long corners that, in my opinion, could favour Aprilia due to the grip at maximum lean angle.
“If we can defend there, I think the world championship is still entirely possible. We’ll take it race by race. There are still 185 points up for grabs, and we’re two points behind.”
Round 18 out of 22 of the 2026 MotoGP campaign at Phillip Island next time out will be an emotional affair, as Phillip Island will not hold the Australian GP from 2027 when the race is set to move to Adelaide. Phillip Island could also be a great indicator for the 2026 title fight.
Phillip Island’s sweeping corners should suit the Aprilia RS-GP, as Tardozzi says, as the Noale natives’ bike has proven superior to the Ducati GP26 for mid-corner speed throughout 2026. But seven out of the 12 corners being left-handers should also play to Marquez’s advantage.
So, Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola expects Marquez to be the “strongest” rider at Phillip Island, where the seven-time premier class champion has to date won the Australian GP five times (including four times in MotoGP). Marquez did not feature at Phillip Island last season after fracturing his shoulder in Mandalika’s gravel following his first-lap collision with Bezzecchi.
Source: MotoGP