Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is searching for his seventh MotoGP title in 2025 as he joins the factory Ducati team.
The Spaniard won all six of his riders’ championships with Honda between 2013 and 2019. But Marquez has struggled to return to the front after claiming the 2019 title.
After missing the 2020 season through injury, the 31-year-old won only three wins in his last three seasons with Honda. The 2023 season – which saw only one podium and the lowest finish of his career with 14th – was the final straw.
Marquez left Honda for satellite Ducati team Gresini Racing in 2024 and enjoyed immediate success. He finished third in the championship behind Francesco Bagnaia and champion Jorge Martin, grabbing three wins and 10 podiums.
For the 2025 season, the Spaniard will move to the factory Ducati team alongside Bagnaia. Marquez got the seat over Martin with his ‘beastly’ pull as a six-time champion.
The battle between Marquez and Bagnaia is set to be one of the most entertaining in MotoGP this year. The former will be looking to stamp his authority, and his fights with one of his rivals may help him do just that.
Andrea Dovizioso changed Marc Marquez’s ‘perception’ of battling his rivals
Marquez is no stranger to intense rivalries, having battled the likes of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo for world championships.
In the late 2010s, Andrea Dovizioso became the 31-year-old closest rival. The Italian – who was with Ducati at the time – finished runner-up to Marquez in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez ‘tried quite hard’ not to say one thing at 2025 Ducati MotoGP launch
While the Spaniard battled with Rossi and Lorenzo in every capacity, journalist Peter McLaren says his relationship with Dovizioso changed his ‘perception’ of how to compete with his rivals.
He said via the Crash MotoGP YouTube channel: “Actually I think looking back, Marc’s attitude towards his rivals has changed a bit when he battled Dovi.
“Because Dovi was someone who you could battle with on the race track and then they’d be chatting away in the car on the way to the podium, wouldn’t they?
“And that was a new experience for Marc having gone through facing Lorenzo, Rossi, those guys that you battled 100% on and off the track.
“And Dovi was someone who changed, I think Marc’s perception a little bit in that sense. As you say, you’ve got the gentleman Bagnaia, to use the stereotype and you’ve got Marc.
“I’m not sure which way it’s going to go honestly.”
Can Marc Marquez beat Francesco Bagnaia at Ducati in 2025?
Marquez’s arrival at Ducati is arguably the biggest move of the 2025 season. Fans clamoured to see Marquez in red after the Bologna-based team revealed this year’s bike on Monday.
Ducati have a ‘huge responsibility’ to give Marquez and Bagnaia a competitive bike in 2025. The team will be looking to continue their dominance from last season after they won the constructors’ title by 203 points.
Bagnaia will be one of the favourites after winning 11 out of the 20 races in 2024. However, costly errors denied him a third title as Martin beat him by 10 points.
Marquez blames Bagnaia’s mistakes on ‘risks’ as he looks to get the better of the Italian in 2025. The 28-year-old will have to put last year behind him as he goes up against a stronger challenger.
Many people in the paddock think Marquez will ‘take Bagnaia apart’ at Ducati but they do not want to go public with that prediction. Both riders will put each other under pressure as they look to add another title to their illustrious careers.
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