Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia could have been a four-time MotoGP champion over the last four seasons alone but he has fallen just short on two separate occasions.
His Ducati bike has slowly become the benchmark for all teams to chase and it has attracted the services of Marc Marquez for 2025, his new teammate.
Bagnaia spent his honeymoon contemplating his 2024 MotoGP mistakes after he missed out on the title by just 10 points.
He won eight more races (11) than eventual champion Jorge Martin (three), whose incredible consistency was the deciding factor in a tight affair.
Martin moves away from the Ducati program this year to join Aprilia Racing after he was snubbed in favour of Marquez to be Bagnaia’s teammate for this season and beyond.
Peter Bom expects Marquez to perform well at Ducati in 2025 in place of Enea Bastianini and believes that his extreme talents will help keep his new team balanced on both sides of the garage.
Francesco Bagnaia makes MotoGP mistakes when he ‘feels comfortable’
Bagnaia made a lot of mistakes in 2024, which led him to spend his honeymoon mulling over his decisions.
The Italian rider now faces an even tougher fight for the title this year with Marquez being the best position to secure a seventh crown this decade.
Bagnaia realised he gave off bad vibes to Ducati when he felt nervous and under pressure, which may be a part of his altered approach for 2025.
Speaking to MOTOSAN, Marco Melandri shared his hypothesis for why the Italian makes mistakes during races.
“Pecco is a driver who lives with a lot of tension during the weekend, pushing to the maximum from the first curve,” he said.
“But sometimes, when he feels comfortable, he slows down and makes mistakes. That’s my impression. I’ve never seen him overdo it too much, but those moments of relaxation have cost him dearly.”
Why Francesco Bagnaia is the favourite for the 2025 MotoGP title
With Martin headed to Aprilia, the door is wide open for Bagnaia to reclaim the title he lost last season.
The 28-year-old has a four-season advantage in experience over the arriving Marquez and knows the Ducati team inside out.
He has also been riding the Ducati machinery for five more seasons and is much more accustomed to the behaviours of the bike.
Marquez has been suffering with too much grip on his Ducati in testing so far, and it’s something that he’s going to need to adjust to if he wants to compete.
He won’t be able to sit back and wait for everyone else’s tyres to degrade before making a challenge for victories because he might end up too far behind by that point.
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