Marquez eases concerns as Ducati fixes brake issue
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 2, 2026
What went wrong in Austria
Ducati said it identified and fixed the front-brake issue that affected Marc Marquez at the Austrian Grand Prix, a problem that cut across a weekend where he had been expected to contend for the podium and ended with him finishing fifth at the Red Bull Ring. Marquez said after that race he was lucky to complete it, and before the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi he added that Ducati had found a visible braking problem in his Austrian Grand Prix data. That gave the team a clearer picture of what went wrong and a more direct path toward a repair. Ducati said the brake problem would not happen again, though it did not give details of the fix. The issue mattered because Marquez had arrived in Austria with real podium hopes, then left with a finish that fell short of those expectations. It also came at a time when the championship picture shifted, with Jorge Martin reclaiming the lead by 12 points after the Austrian Grand Prix. For Ducati, the brake problem became more than a single-race setback. It turned into a technical point of focus that the team had to address quickly before the schedule moved on to another demanding venue.
Marquez at Motegi
At Motegi, Davide Tardozzi set a firm target for Ducati. He said the team’s goal was a podium finish and that Marquez would attack from there. That framed the weekend around recovery and execution rather than speculation. Ducati wanted a strong response after Austria, and Tardozzi’s comments showed the team believed Marquez still had the pace to push forward if the bike behaved properly. The focus also moved quickly beyond Japan. Tardozzi said Ducati expected a tougher weekend at the Indonesian Grand Prix because of Michelin’s stiffer rear tyre carcass and because Marquez had never finished a main race at Mandalika. That combination pointed to a different kind of challenge, one that mixed tire demands with track history. The comments gave Ducati a practical way to measure the next few rounds. Motegi offered a chance to show the brake problem had been handled. Mandalika promised a more difficult test. Marquez entered that stretch with the repaired brake issue as a focus, with Ducati looking for a podium response after Austria.
Di Giannantonio outlook
Fabio Di Giannantonio arrived at Motegi fifth in the championship, 76 points behind the leader and 34 points behind Marco Bezzecchi in third. Those numbers left him in a tight but still workable position in the standings, with enough ground to climb if he found a strong run and enough pressure to keep every technical detail in view. He said the new asphalt at Motegi was a key unknown and that Ducati’s historical strength there could no longer be taken for granted. That made the surface itself part of the story. The team could not rely on reputation alone. Di Giannantonio also said Ducati had experienced a few minor brake issues at times during the season, including at Misano, and that the team had to keep watching for that brake problem. His view matched the broader mood around Ducati. The team had already dealt with one brake-related scare involving Marquez, and even after the fix it still had to monitor the same area closely. For Ducati, the next stretch of the season became a test of both speed and vigilance. The repairs at one end of the garage did not remove the need for careful checks at the other.
