Marco Bezzecchi
Francesco Bagnaia’s 2024 MotoGP campaign was undermined by multiple errors which cost him in defence of his riders’ championship.
He fell just 10 points short of a third consecutive title to Pramac’s Jorge Martin, who was supremely consistent throughout the season.
Bagnaia spent his honeymoon haunted by his 2024 MotoGP errors, aware that making just one less would’ve been enough for him to take the crown.
His main rival has switched teams ahead of the 2025 season, joining Aprilia and weakening his title defence.
It means Bagnaia’s trickiest opponent will now be his new Ducati teammate and six-time champion Marc Marquez.
The two are expected to produce a spectacular fight for top honours – something their team will have to monitor closely if they want to avoid drama and a repeat of their 2024 Portuguese Grand Prix crash.
Francesco Bagnaia complained after Ducati clutch did what it had ‘never done’
Valentino Rossi thinks Bagnaia is the 2025 title favourite with his experience and knowledge of Ducati an advantage he holds over Marquez.
He’s going to need to reduce the number of errors he makes if he wants to sustain a challenge against a six-time champion though.
Marquez will push him all the way and beyond in his quest for a seventh title, having waited six years to find himself in this position again.
Bagnaia will also need some luck along the way, the sort of which he couldn’t find in 2024 at the French Grand Prix when his clutch slipped at the start, sending him back down the field.
Speaking in MotoGP’s There Can Only Be One series, he told Enea Bastianini how he had never had that problem before after the race.
“When I started and the clutch wasn’t biting, it’s never done that before,” he said.
How will Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez fare as Ducati teammates?
Marquez blamed Bagnaia’s 2024 mistakes on risks, coming to the defence of his new teammate who he backed by saying that he has to push to the limit.
The Spaniard has encountered his fair share of accidents and errors through the years and has battled through them to find a seat in a premiere team again.
READ MORE: Francesco Bagnaia envious of one ‘fantastic’ Marc Marquez talent ahead of Ducati MotoGP battle
His maturity has come a long way too, and it might be something which pays dividends compared to his younger years as he battles for the title in 2025.
Bagnaia realised he gave off bad vibes at Ducati when he was under pressure in 2024 and years prior, and it’s something he wants to work on.
He’s going to want his team to be on his side in the event that things get intense and he will only turn them away by being cold. It’s part of what makes the 2025 season fascinating.
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