If there is a track where Marquez has dominated for years, it is undoubtedly Austin. At the Texas circuit, the Catalan rider has collected seven wins and eight pole positions, but last weekend was below average. This year, however, things went quite differently. The Spanish ace only managed to secure fifth place, after an early crash in Saturday's Sprint race and a long penalty on Sunday. As a result, he remains in the same position in the overall standings, 36 points behind Marco Bezzecchi after just three races. An unrecognizable rider at his favorite track All of this worries Carlos Checa, who claims he has never seen Marquez in Austin at such a low level. "I have never seen Marc here at COTA at this level with an inferior motorcycle. Something is not right. He is even lagging behind some Ducati riders. It is clear that Marc must regain his confidence; he must rebuild himself within the limitations he likely has," adds the former Spanish rider. Checa believes that Marquez lacks neither ambition nor dedication, but that his limitations are primarily physical in nature. "We will see if that is possible in the short term, because the races are piling up, and the gap to his rivals is growing. However, I truly appreciate the race he delivered. I think this is the right path to recovery, and he knows exactly what is happening," concludes Checa. Marquez and Ducati in negotiations Marquez's weak performance in Austin, compared to his usual standards, is a topic of discussion even within Ducati. The rider personally admitted to his team that the crash on Friday in Austin was his mistake and that, combined with his current physical condition following the 2025 injury, it made his performance at the American track difficult. "I lost the rear a bit. For that lap, it was too much. The crash was my mistake. Some new bumps appeared there, and the motorcycle was shaking. It was the first lap where I really pushed, and I was too optimistic. I made a mistake. The hardest part for me was in turns 2, 3, and 4. I think I am more of a problem than the motorcycle," he told the team in the pit on Friday. At the end of the weekend, Marquez summarized his assessment with these words: "It's hard for me. The motorcycle is certainly one factor, but I am another, because looking at the races in Thailand and Brazil, if we are good in the first three laps, we are in a position to win." "It's hard for me. The motorcycle is certainly one thing, but I am another," concluded the seven-time world champion. Dall'Igna: Marquez was not at 100% Ducati's General Manager, Gigi Dall'Igna, also assessed what was seen last weekend in Austin, acknowledging that Marc was not at 100% due to the crash on Friday. He also revealed that "his feelings toward the motorcycle were still uncertain, requiring adjustments to the setup that prevented him from being the Marc Marquez we know well and from whom we expect so much." However, not everything is Marquez's responsibility. Aprilia has made a big step forward, and Ducati has lost the dominant position it had in 2025. "If we add the constant progress of our rivals, I dare say the situation becomes quite clear. What is crystal clear is that we must work diligently to improve and put our riders in a position to give their all, especially now that our rivals are so competitive," added Dall'Igna. "In the USA, we had more difficulties than we should have. That is an alarm that should push us to return to the winning path," concluded the popular Gigi.