Marc Marquez
, in his first pre-season test with Ducati’s factory team, recorded his first crash after covering almost 780 kilometers. The crash occurred towards the end of the second day of testing at the Sepang circuit. With 15 minutes remaining in the session, Marquez left the pits for a time attack in an effort to improve his position from 14th in the day’s standings. However, during his push for faster times, Marquez lost control of the bike at Turn 9, a corner where Francesco Bagnaia had crashed during his title battle with Jorge Martin in the previous season. The crash marked Marquez’s first on a Ducati MotoGP bike, and although he walked away unscathed, he did not return to the track despite there being 10 minutes left in the session. This was because his backup bike was configured for practice starts scheduled for the end of the day.
Leadinginto the test, Marquez had shown strong performance. In his debut stint with Ducati at the Barcelona test in November 2023, Marquez completed 49 laps, covering 229.07 kilometers, without falling. The momentum from that test continued into the first pre-season test of 2025, where Marquez completed 54 laps on day one in Sepang, finishing second behind Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. By the time he started his 46th lap on Thursday, Marquez had already completed 548.757 kilometers over the two days at Sepang, with the total distance covered in both the Sepang and Barcelona tests reaching nearly 780 kilometers before he suffered his first crash on a factory Ducati Desmosedici.
In comparison, Marquez’s final year at Honda in 2023 was marred by frequent crashes, with the six-time world champion setting a record of 29 falls. This was primarily blamed on the handling of the increasingly difficult-to-ride RC213V. His teammate, Joan Mir, also suffered a significant number of crashes that season, recording 24. Marquez’s crash tally for 2023 was the highest in the MotoGP paddock, but he still managed to perform better than others, including rookie Pedro Acosta, who surpassed him by the end of the season with 29 falls. Marquez finished the year with 24 crashes, a statistic that drew attention given the struggles he faced on Honda’s machine.
The crash in Sepang occurred after Marquez had been pushing to improve his lap times. His best lap of the day, a 1m58.447s, was not truly reflective of his speed. In fact, it was slower than his best lap of 1m57.606s set on Wednesday, the day before. Over the course of Thursday, Marquez completed 46 laps, of which 23 were full laps, and managed to complete only three flying laps. In his first run of the day, Marquez lowered his time to 1m58.648s by the fourth lap. By his sixth run, on his 23rd lap of the day, he had already set his best lap time of 1m58.447s. Later in the session, Marquez completed a seven-lap stint, the longest of the day, with a series of lap times in the 1m59-second range.
Despite the crash, Marquez’s testing had seen a series of consistent improvements. Later in the session, he ventured out again for a total of four more runs. However, in his final run of the day, he was improving his times in the first two sectors, but the third sector saw him crash, which ended his testing for the day. This incident, while disappointing, did not overshadow the overall progress Marquez made in his first pre-season with Ducati. He demonstrated promising potential, particularly considering that he had completed so many laps without falling. However, the crash served as a reminder of the challenges he still faces, even with a more competitive and stable machine like the Ducati Desmosedici.
In summary, Marquez’s crash at Sepang marked the end of a nearly 780-kilometer crash-free streak on his factory Ducati machine. Despite the setback, the Spaniard’s performance across the first two days of testing showed that he is adjusting well to his new bike. His overall consistency in lap times and his ability to challenge for top spots, even after a crash, will likely provide him with the confidence needed for the upcoming season. While Marquez’s transition to Ducati has not been without its challenges, his ability to adapt and recover from setbacks remains one of his greatest strengths.
