Marc Marquez Aims for Victory in Jerez as Well as Fitness Test

JAKARTA - Nine-time world champion Marc Marquez is seeking to claim his first victory of the season at the Jerez MotoGP race this weekend while testing his physical fitness which has not fully recovered.

The 2026 Jerez MotoGP race will take place on April 24-26 at the Jerez Circuit. This is a golden opportunity for The Baby Alien, Marquez's nickname, to break Aprilia's dominance from the three races that have been held so far.

Marquez's fitness is again a concern ahead of the race. The Spanish rider is still grappling with the shoulder injury he suffered in Mandalika in October last year which made him miss the rest of the season.

"This bike is in critical condition, but so am I. I'm fighting hard," Marquez told his team at COTA, quoted by Crash.

Marquez was a little lucky because there was a three-week break in competition after the United States MotoGP due to the Qatar series delay following the war in West Asia.

The 33-year-old racer said that he used the situation as much as possible for his physical recovery. He also hopes to perform well in front of the public himself.

"I will use this three-week break as best as possible to recover for the first European race of the season and the first home Grand Prix that is in front of us."

"I'm happy, Jerez is a track I like, it's historic, complete, and there will be a lot of fans there," he said.

In last season's race, Marquez managed to win the Sprint Race session at Jerez, but failed in the main race which was won by his younger brother, Alex Marquez.

In the standings this season, Marquez is still in fifth place with 45 points and is still chasing his first podium. His best finish in the previous three races was fourth place in the second Grand Prix in Brazil.