Marc Marquez’s instant reaction after learning he can break Valentino Rossi’s oldest champion record in 2025

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Marc Marquez is considered to be one of MotoGP’s favourites for the championship in 2025 for the first time this decade.

The Spaniard has moved to Ducati’s factory outfit from the satellite Gresini team and will be on what is expected to be the best bike on the grid.

Pre-season testing at both Buriram and Sepang suggested that Marquez was top dog after just five days of running.

Teammate Francesco Bagnaia seemed to struggle a little more and has some work to do to be on his partner’s level at the Grand Prix of Thailand.

Marquez has formed one surprising alliance since joining Ducati and has been getting along very well with Bagnaia in the pit box.

The only other true competitor he looks to have currently is his brother, with Marquez sending a three-word warning to Alex after testing.

Marc Marquez says MotoGP comeback ‘more important’ than Valentino Rossi record

It has been nearly six years since Marquez was a true contender for a MotoGP title, back in 2019 when he claimed his sixth and final triumph for Honda.

Years of injury-plagued campaigns and poor machinery saw his abilities doubted, but a move to a European bike changed everything in 2024. He started to win again.

Three victories with Gresini on a one-year-old GP23 chassis were enough to convince Ducati that he was worthy of a factory ride.

READ MORE: Ducati fans will love what Marc Marquez said after putting on red overalls for the first time

He’s got the chance to become the oldest champion in the four-stroke era, but he has admitted to Motorsport-Total that it isn’t on the top of his mind.

“I prefer to be the youngest. Can I really be the oldest this year? I don’t like that, but it’s good,” he said.

“For me, of course, it’s more important to make a comeback after the injury than to be the oldest. This is the most important thing for me.”

Marc Marquez may already be playing ‘mind games’ with Francesco Bagnaia

Between them, Ducati’s riders have eight championships and a bundle of experience in title fights. It could create quite the spectacle for fans this season.

Preparations for 2025 began the week after the final race of 2024 in Barcelona last November, and excitement around the project has been building for a while.

After the Buriram test, Marquez may already be playing mind games with Bagnaia after showing such impressive pace early on.

READ MORE: Ducati engineers are flabbergasted that Marc Marquez can’t do one thing ‘at all’ in MotoGP testing

It’s going to be up to the Italian manufacturer to manage the relationship between their riders and ensure that things do not boil over.

If they do, it could be catastrophic for their title charge and reputation, which they have worked so hard to build up since creating one of the sport’s most dominant bikes.