Fabio Quartararo predicts who will win 2025 MotoGP title – Marc Marquez or Francesco Bagnaia

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Ducati duo Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia are set to go head-to-head for the 2025 MotoGP world championship. They’ve strengthened their status as the overwhelming favourites during pre-season testing.

Marquez and Bagnaia will both run the 2024 engine this year, and they could yet start the campaign with last year’s aerodynamics and chassis too. Theoretically, that would level the playing field for the likes of Alex Marquez at Gresini and Franco Morbidelli at VR46.

But Marquez is a six-time premier class champion, while Bagnaia has won two titles. That makes it one of the most successful partnerships in MotoGP history.

Even if they’re riding the same, or similar, machinery, they should have the talent to overwhelm their Ducati peers over the year. And there’s no sign that Aprilia, KTM or an improved Yamaha are able to challenge them just yet.

Marquez is trying to match Valentino Rossi with a seventh MotoGP crown. He’s out to prove he’s still the best rider in the sport after undergoing multiple operations following his 2020 arm injury.

Bagnaia, meanwhile, knows how much it will benefit his legacy if he defeats the Spaniard on equal machinery. Lose out, and he may never be placed within the highest tier of riders.

Fabio Quartararo backs Marc Marquez to beat Francesco Bagnaia in MotoGP title race

At the end of his interview with MotoGP’s official website, Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo was asked who’s he backing to win the title. El Diablo lifted the trophy himself in 2021.

Davide Tardozzi called Quartararo the biggest threat to Ducati at the previous test in Sepang. But that may just mean he takes on the ‘best of the rest’ role.

Quartararo was frustrated with his Yamaha bike in Buriram after a positive three days in Malaysia. The hype around the Japanese manufacturer has cooled.

Aware that he’s unlikely to be in contention, Quartararo picked Marquez for the title. He battled Bagnaia himself in 2022, finishing second despite possessing a 91-point lead before the summer break.

“I hope me!” he said when asked to name his champion. “If I need to put some [money] on somebody, I will put it on Marc.”

Ducati employee issues scary reaction to Marc Marquez long run at Buriram Test

Marquez set the pace on both days of the Buriram Test, but his race run on Thursday was arguably more ominous than his time-attack efforts. Over 23 laps, his average pace was close to the all-time circuit record.

One Ducati source says Marquez put ‘a knife between the heart’ of his rivals with those lap times on high fuel. Bagnaia appears outwardly relaxed, but he didn’t complete a comparable run.

The former Honda rider isn’t completely comfortable on his new bike just yet, though. Marquez is struggling to get the Ducati off the line despite completing plenty of practice starts during testing.

Ducati’s engineers can’t work out why he’s finding it so difficult. Even if he takes pole position in Thailand – which currently looks likely – he could miss out on the win if he tumbles down the order on lap one.