Marquez cleared for Mugello but to be reassessed after FP1
MotoGP returns to Mugello for the Brembo GP of Italy this weekend. Ducati Lenovo said Marc Marquez has been medically cleared to race but will be reassessed after FP1 to confirm he can continue, following a right-foot fracture and surgery earlier this month and a recent operation to remove a loose screw from his right shoulder. Luca Marini said he is fit and ready after missing the 2025 Mugello with a testing injury and rejected Ducati’s suggestion he become a test rider, saying, “Right now, being a test rider isn’t what I want.” Jorge Martín said he feels ready to tackle Mugello but not fully recovered after several crashes in Barcelona, adding, “At Mugello, you’ve got to show your attributes!” The championship picture raises the stakes. Marco Bezzecchi leads the standings by 15 points over teammate Jorge Martín after Barcelona, with Aprilia running four bikes inside the top six overall. Fabio Di Giannantonio arrives off his second MotoGP win in Barcelona. Francesco Bagnaia is a three-time Mugello winner (2022–24) and finished third in Barcelona. Pedro Acosta took pole in Barcelona, narrowly missed the Sprint win and was taken out on Sunday, but remains within striking distance of the title. Injury absences and lineup changes continue to affect the grid. Alex Marquez fractured his C7 vertebra in the Catalan incident and will be replaced in Italy by test rider Michele Pirro. Johann Zarco suffered knee ligament damage in the same crash and will miss Mugello; Cal Crutchlow will step in for Italy. Zarco will also miss the Suzuka 8 Hours and be replaced there by Somkiat Chantra. Marini plans to start the Mugello weekend on a setup similar to his Barcelona configuration, aiming to reach the top ten in pre-qualifying and shift the weekend’s momentum. He prefers dry conditions while acknowledging Honda’s strengths in the wet, and he has a Safety Commission meeting scheduled with other riders, including Bagnaia and Bezzecchi, to discuss rider representation.
