APRILIA STEALS THE SHOW AS ALEX MARQUEZ SCRAPES BY WITH SEVENTH IN AUSTIN
Alex Marquez admits Ducati is trailing Aprilia in the 2026 MotoGP season, citing a need for more time to unlock the bike.
Alex Marquez is kicking off the 2026 season in a way that feels miles away from how last year ended. In Austin, he barely managed to grab seventh place, and he admitted to reporters he pretty much scraped by. He needs more time to get comfortable on the new factory Ducati, and honestly, he says missing the Qatar round is an unexpected plus. It gives him and the team a breather to analyse things. But nobody’s pretending the main issue isn’t staring them in the face: Ducati’s struggling, and Aprilia is stealing the show.
Still, Alex isn’t frustrated, just realistic. The season’s long, and Ducati’s history proves they’re good at bouncing back. “I’m not happy, but this is what I expected,” Alex told the press. “I tried to stay in the mix, not lose time fighting for places. Starting from the third row is tough. All the Ducatis were running a similar pace, except Marc; he was consistent even on the long lap. We haven’t figured out how to unlock the bike’s full potential yet. Right now, we’re a step behind.”
His start this year is nothing like last season, but he’s taking it in stride.
“I’m not frustrated; I just want to keep working. I’m motivated, and I feel we’re close to a breakthrough. We're missing something, though, and honestly, not racing in Qatar right now helps; it gives us space to dig into what’s wrong.”
He battled with Ogura’s Aprilia and saw up close what Aprilia’s got going for it.
“Ogura passed me, and I pushed for three corners, trying to keep up, but by the time I recovered, he was gone. That was impressive. He was pushing so hard, and his bike had tonnes of grip; it’s like Aprilia’s running a very low, stable bike right now.”
Marc Marquez came past him, too.
“When I saw the warning on the board, I knew Marc was coming, and I knew he’d attack right there. I know his style. I tried to defend, but honestly, I won’t bother changing the lock on my front door; I’ve already moved on,” Alex joked.
Aprilia is dominating early in the season. What’s changed?
“They’re just super competitive right now. Last year, Ducati was ahead, and Aprilia couldn’t touch us. Now, Ducati’s back at work, and I trust them. At some point this season, we’ll step up again. With Ducati, the factory bikes always need half a season to hit their stride, and then they start flying, as we saw in 2022 and 2023. I’m not the kind to stop working; I’ll keep giving feedback and pushing to improve.”
Now that he’s a factory Ducati rider, is he worried about losing that spot in the future?
“No, honestly, riders are paid through the end of the year, and the team tries to help everyone out, collecting as much info as possible. Nothing’s changed; Ducati keeps backing all four factory riders.”
MOTORSPORT WORLD MOURNS AFTER FATAL SEVEN-CAR NüRBURGRING CRASH CLAIMS JUHA MIETTINEN
Juha Miettinen, 66, has died following a seven-car crash at the Nürburgring. Get the latest details on this motorsport tragedy.
Max Verstappen expressed his condolences after the tragic passing of Juha Miettinen, who lost his life in a multi-car accident during qualifying for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
The incident occurred early in the weekend’s opening race, a four-hour event that started at 5:30 pm local time. About 25 minutes into the race, seven cars collided at a tight hairpin just before the Karussell section.
The race was immediately stopped with a red flag, and no replays of the crash were shown during the live broadcast. Some onboard footage from the #992 Porsche AT2, driven by Bjorn Griesemann, provided a glimpse of the scene, though technical problems with the cameras limited coverage there.
Misha Charoudin, a driver who was directly behind the crash, mentioned to Viaplay that “someone left fluid behind", causing six or seven cars to pile into each other. He noted, “You come into that stretch at 220 kph, and if you can’t brake…”
Race control later confirmed that Miettinen, 66, succumbed to injuries from the crash. Despite the quick response from emergency teams, paramedics were unable to save him. He was pronounced dead in the medical centre after all efforts to resuscitate him failed.
The other six drivers involved received precautionary medical evaluations, either at the medical centre or nearby hospitals, with none reported to be in critical condition.
Following the accident, the decision was made to halt the race. The FIA, while not the event organiser, was involved in several operational aspects and issued a statement expressing sorrow over Miettinen’s death during the first qualifying race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring.
“Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and all connected to the event,” the FIA said.
Verstappen, whose teammate Lucas Auer was driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG during the crash, also shared his thoughts that evening.
“Shocked by what happened today,” he wrote. “Motorsport is something we all love, but moments like this serve as a stark reminder of the risks involved. My heartfelt condolences go to Juha’s family and loved ones.”
FERNANDO MENDOZA AIMING TO JOIN RARE ELITE CLUB: HEISMAN AND NATIONAL CHAMPION IN SAME YEAR
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is the consensus No. 1 pick! See why the Raiders are locked in on their future franchise leader.
Everyone’s expecting Fernando Mendoza to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in this week’s NFL Draft. The guy’s locked in, with absolutely zero distractions, just chasing his pro football dreams.
Mendoza’s coming off a run with the Indiana Hoosiers that put him on the verge of something rare. If he pulls it off, he’ll join the tiny handful of quarterbacks who’ve won both the Heisman and the National Championship, then gone first overall, all in the same year. He’s determined to do just that, and he’s made it clear nothing’s getting in his way.
He’s even talked openly about skipping out on dating. 'No time for a girlfriend right now,' Mendoza said. He’d end up giving her all his attention when really, he wants to be watching more film and working on football. He laid it out during the National Championship media day: right now, his phone just has LinkedIn and YouTube. No doomscrolling through football takes, and definitely no reading what random fans say about him. He tunes it all out, focusing on feedback from his coach and the other quarterbacks in the room. So far, it’s paid off; he played his best football through the playoffs, staying away from social media and deleting every app that could steal his focus. In the end, it helped him get that National Championship.
Even though the Raiders just brought in Kirk Cousins, Mendoza’s still the favourite to take the starting job as a rookie. Scouts see him as the clear top quarterback in this draft, though ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky has argued that Alabama’s Ty Simpson actually deserves the top spot.
Looking past this year, the 2027 draft is shaping up to be a stronger class for quarterbacks, with guys like Arch Manning, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, Julian Sayin, and DJ Lagway all expected to throw their names in the hat. But right now, the spotlight’s on Mendoza, and he’s making sure nothing shakes his focus.
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