Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has finally admitted that the delay in announcing his new Ducati MotoGP contract has been connected to the two parties favouring deals of different lengths.

But Marquez also acknowledged that he's now a lot closer to accepting another two-year deal for 2027 and 2028 - during which he is set to be partnered by Pedro Acosta, with current team-mate Pecco Bagnaia heading to Aprilia instead.

Both Marquez and Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna had sounded confident at the Italian manufacturer’s team presentation last month that a new deal would be announced imminently.

However, that then cooled down amid rumours that Marquez was trying to instead negotiate a one-year deal with only an option for the second - something that many took as a sign that he might well have had his head turned by the strong form of former employer Honda.

But, speaking at the end of the first day of the second and final pre-season test in Buriram, he indicated the reason was instead him questioning his MotoGP future.

Coming out of winter having once again needed extensive surgery and rehabilitation after the crash with Marco Bezzecchi at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October that damaged his shoulder, he hinted that the injuries sustained might have been more serious than initially reported, such was the concern he had about his return.

“We are working on it with Ducati,” he said of the contract length. “The ideal for them is two years because, if not, you are there in the middle of nowhere. But yeah, at the moment the most important for me is to start the pre-season feeling better and better.

“I feel a small step but a step, between the Malaysia test and here. Let's see if I continue feeling better with my physical condition. If I feel like today, that I feel a small step in my shoulder, and tomorrow another one, will be not a problem for me for a two-year contract.

“It's my biggest limitation. So, yeah, as always I say - and it's what I learned. When you are injured, you can't take any decision, sign any contract.

"It's true that some will do [that]. But first [priority] of all for me was try to understand my new injury, how it was, and I feel like it's coming in a good way. Still some job to do, but it's coming in a good way. So for that reason we are working with Ducati in a good way, too.”

Marquez, who turned 33 earlier this week, is no stranger to bad injuries over the past decade. But he admitted that they’re now starting to catch up with him more - even as he still feels as young mentally as ever before.

“For me, honestly speaking, it's not getting harder with age,” he added, “it's getting harder with injuries. Not with age. In the end, I feel still young on the mental side. But it's true that with the injuries - one, another, another - that makes my body lazier and lazier, and it takes more time [to recover].

“So for that reason this winter was super long. And yeah, still we are working on it. It's true that after the Thailand race we have two more weeks [before Brazil], so let's see if we can continue on the evolution.”